High Steaks Waffle (The Diner of the Dead Series Book 16) Read online

  “What about your dad?” Maddy asked.

  “Well, I never met him. My mom told me we moved here after I was born to get away from him. I guess he was abusive or something.”

  “And what did your mom do after she quit working for Shakeman?”

  “Nothing,” Jake admitted.

  “Nothing?”

  “That’s right.”

  Maddy mused over this fact. “How did you guys have money to eat and stuff?”

  “I was never quite sure,” he admitted. “I guess maybe she just had savings? Either that, or she was collecting money from my deadbeat dad, and I didn’t know about it.”

  “Both are likely possibilities,” Sonja agreed.

  “Anyway, she usually kept all of her money matters from me. Guess she didn’t want to worry me with them.”

  “What about now?” she asked. “I mean, now that she’s passed on.”

  “I didn’t inherit any money,” he confessed with a mighty groan as if the money were more of a concern than his mom dying. “Her bank account only had about three hundred dollars in it.”

  Sonja glanced around the room again, noting all the expensive stuff, and wondered where the money had come from.

  “That’s why I needed that darn job so badly. I’ve never had to worry about a thing my entire life. My mom always took care of financial stuff.” He sighed, slumping into his chair. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay all these bills, like for the funeral, for the electricity, the water, the mortgage.”

  And yet, Sonja thought, he still insisted on brewing expensive coffee in an expensive espresso machine and had a mini-bar in the living room (probably his mother’s when she was alive). It was clear he was never taught the responsibilities of money management.

  “But now that Shakeman’s dead, maybe I can talk my way back into a job there.”

  “Maybe,” Sonja agreed, still surprised by his lack of sorrow of his mother’s recent death.

  “Perhaps Mr. Handy can give you a good recommendation,” Maddy interjected, cleverly moving the conversation onto the cook.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Jake lit up.

  “You’re friends with him?” Sonja asked.

  Jake smirked in a way that reminded Sonja of a little boy. “Yep. He was always nice to me when the boss wasn’t, but that isn’t a surprise. He’s been sort of like a father figure since I was a kid. He even helped me settle my mom’s accounts after she passed.”

  At this, Sonja raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” he smiled. “When I was probably seven or eight, my mom and I met him at a local fair. I guess he decided he liked me. He asked me to join the soccer team he coached at the local community center. Ever since then, we’ve always done things together.” He motioned toward the video game system. “He even bought me that and a few games. We play together.”

  “I see,” Sonja noted. “I bet having him around has made these last few weeks easier and helped you get that job after your mom passed.”

  “He did. That’s true.” Jake paused, looking down at the floor as if mulling over something in his mind.

  Sonja wondered if he was upset by them bringing up his mother again. So far, he had skirted away from the issue of her death, acted like he didn’t care. Maybe it was all an act to hide his emotions. “I bet you miss her, huh?”

  Glancing up at her, he half smiled. “Not really.”

  Both women tried to hide their shocked expressions. “You don’t?” Maddy asked.

  “Naw. You’ll both probably think I’m nuts or something,” he paused, trying to decide if he was going to tell them, “but my mom is still around.”

  “She is?” Sonja asked.

  “Yep, her ghost wanders around the house, still making sure everything is in order. It’s really comforting, actually.”

  CHAPTER 13

  * * *

  Upon leaving Jake’s home, Sonja looked up at the sky. A billowing plume of gray had covered the once sunny expanse, encompassing the small town with a dark shadow. A cool wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves in a symphony that foretold of rain.

  “Do you really think his mom is haunting the house?” Maddy asked once they had stepped off the porch.

  Sonja tied her red hair back in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get messy in the wind. “It’s possible, and maybe, the ghost who was haunting Tanner at the Firehouse Grill is the same one who is watching over her son.”

  “You think so?”

  She shrugged. “I honestly can’t say. We’ll have to ask Belinda, I think.”

  Belinda Smith was a local volunteer librarian and a friend of Sonja’s. She was in charge of the occult section of books in the library’s basement and knew a lot on the subject.

  “So, to the library next?”

  “I want to check up on Mr. Handy first. He might be able to give us some better insight to Jake’s mom.” She raised a pointed finger as she thought about what she wanted ask the cook.

  Walking around the van to the driver’s side, which stood facing the trees, Sonja felt a sharp cold wind hit her back, cutting through her jacket and to her skin—sending shivers up and down her spine.

  She instantly recognized the sensation. There was a ghost nearby. Peeking around the van, she took in the house across the street, seeing if anything unusual stood out among its tattered yard and dark windows.

  “What is it?” Maddy asked.

  “I feel something,” she confessed.

  Pausing, Maddy closed her eyes and took a second’s meditation as well.

  “Do you feel it, too?”

  The younger woman glanced out toward the waving trees. “There is definitely something there.”

  “But where?” Sonja whispered, turning toward the trees. A flash of white blinked across her vision in the darkness of the wooded area. “Come on,” she motioned at her friend.

  The two women walked away from the van and into the dim shade of the grove.

  “Did you see something?” Maddy whispered.

  “Something white. Let’s see if we can find it.”

  Easing carefully between the low growing ground cover, not wanting to disturb or scare off the ghost if it was really there, they weaved back and forth until their view of the street completely disappeared behind them.

  Sonja had a distinct feeling of being trapped, the tall reaching trees closing in around her like bars of a prison cell. A brief moment of panic welled up from her stomach and into her throat. Quickly pushing that sensation away, she moved forward.

  What if, by some strange supernatural force, she was forced to live out in the woods forever? What if a ghost trapped her in an open pit?

  This is not a fairytale, she reminded herself. “Do you see anything?” she asked her friend.

  When she turned to face Maddy, she only saw trees.

  Her friend was gone.

  “Maddy?” she called out. “Maddy, where are you?”

  Only the odd silence of the wilderness around her answered. Despite the fact that she’d only been walking for four or five minutes, she felt like she was in some isolated part of the mountains, far away from civilization.

  A low sound drew her attention back toward the trees, and away from the direction of her van.

  “Maddy?”

  A woman’s humming echoed nearby.

  Sonja was tempted to call her friend’s name again, to ask why she was humming and not responding to her calls, but she knew better.

  This sound was being made by an otherworldly voice.

  Carefully, she moved toward the noise, tiptoeing across the dirt until she spotted something floating in the air just a few feet away. The glowing orb of light could have easily been mistaken as the beam of a flashlight, or a lightning bug, but the way it pulsed indicated otherwise.

  The humming was coming from it.

  Just as Sonja got close, it started to bob away, as if it were skipping.

  “Wait,” Sonja whispered to it, following it a
s it moved. In and out and up and down, it was like a playful animal. She’d never encountered such a cheerful apparition before. Finally, coming to a pool of water that had collected in the natural well of a clearing, the transparent orb stopped.

  So, did Sonja.

  Slowly, the ball grew into a tall misty shape, the features working themselves out, becoming clearer. Finally, a woman stood nearby the water. Bending down, she brushed her hand down as if going to take a drink.

  Pausing, the strange luminescent specter turned its head upward to look at Sonja. “Are you friends with my boy?” she whispered, her voice echoing against the trees.

  Sonja didn’t know what to say at first but managed to finally open her mouth. “I’m an acquaintance, yes.”

  “Help him not make the same mistakes as me,” she whispered through a growing smile. “Help him.”

  “Wait, what mistakes?” Sonja asked.

  The woman didn’t respond, just brought her hands together in an ear shattering clap, like thunder that was too close for comfort. Quick as a blink, she was gone—vanishing into mist between the trees.

  CHAPTER 14

  * * *

  “Where were you?” Maddy asked.

  Sonja blinked a few times, glancing around herself. The van was in sight, just at the edge of the trees, and Maddy was standing right next to her.

  “I lost you for a second,” she reiterated.

  “Sorry about that,” she responded. “I just got lost.”

  “Got lost? With the van right there?”

  Sonja shook her head. “Let’s go. We’re not going to find anything else in there.” She turned and headed toward the street.

  “Wait, wait,” the younger woman insisted. “What just happened in there?”

  “I think I was spirited away,” she noted, “by Jake’s mother.”

  * * *

  It was already twelve noon, and the two women had a good idea where they might find Thomas Handy. Driving up the familiar road toward the Firehouse Grill, Sonja parked the van and they got out.

  There were no more police cars or paramedics in sight, and Sonja assumed they had gotten everything squared away in time to have the place ready to open at noon like it usually did.

  Walking inside the front door, they were immediately greeted by the new hostess, a young woman with blonde hair.

  “Morning, ladies,” she greeted them, “Table for two?”

  “Actually, we were wondering if we could talk to Thomas Handy.”

  The woman looked slightly confused. “He’s working at the moment. Is this important?”

  “Could be,” Sonja responded.

  The woman hesitated, “Well, you can find him through the kitchen door, right there.”

  “Thanks,” she said, heading that direction.

  Stepping into the kitchen, they instantly spotted Handy standing over the griddle.

  “Hey, employees only back here,” he shouted upon seeing them.

  “Actually, we were wondering if you could answer a few questions for us,” Sonja chimed, talking above the ruckus of the kitchen staff cleaning and cooking.

  “About what?”

  “About Mr. Tanner Shakeman.”

  “I already told the sheriff everything I know,” he waved a hand dismissively.

  “Okay, how about your relationship with Jake Pitman?”

  Pausing, the cook raised an eyebrow. “You’re the sheriff’s girlfriend, aren’t you?” he shot back. “The one who runs the diner?”

  “That’s me,” Sonja put up her hand like she was in an elementary school class.

  “And who is this?”

  “This is Maddy the Mystic, a renowned medium,” Sonja said.

  “As in ghosts?” he cocked one eyebrow.

  “We were here helping Mr. Shakeman investigate some strange occurrences in the restaurant,” Maddy stepped in, acting like a professional paranormal investigator.

  After considering his options a moment, Mr. Handy nodded. “Okay, boys,” he spoke to the other cooks helping in the kitchen, “I’m taking a quick break. Be back in ten.”

  He motioned for the girls to follow him, and they did. Coming to a small office, they all stepped inside and sat down.

  “I don’t know about any ghosts, but I will agree that there have been some strange things going on around here lately.”

  “Strange in what sense?” Maddy asked.

  “Oh, our ovens and other appliance randomly turning on and off on their own, the lights in the kitchen flickering on and off, spices moving around on their own. Stuff like that.”

  “But you don’t think it’s ghosts?” Sonja asked.

  “I won’t say one way or the other, but I will admit it’s odd.”

  Maddy leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. “We were wondering if you’d answer a few questions about Jake Pitman for us. It may just tie in with our paranormal investigation.”

  “Okay, shoot,” he said.

  “What exactly is your relationship with Jake Pitman?” Sonja asked.

  “He’s not in any trouble, is he?” Thomas asked, removing his white hat and setting it on the table. “He didn’t kill Mr. Shakeman if that’s what you think.”

  “Well, honestly, we’re not the ones to decide that,” Maddy informed him. “We’re just trying to dig up some info on our own.”

  “Ah, busybodies,” he accused.

  “Hardly,” Sonja argued. “We just happened to run into Jake and, since we saw what happened last night, we said how sorry we were. Next thing we know, he’s talking about what a father figure you are to him—how you’ve been a big influence in his life. He said you even bought him things like a video game system and games.”

  “I like the kid,” he shrugged. “No harm in that, is there?”

  “Jake seems to have a lot of expensive things, things I assume he couldn’t afford on his own.”

  Handy sighed, his shoulders slumping as if he’d been caught in a lie.

  “Is there something you want to tell us?” Sonja pressed.

  “Sheriff Thompson didn’t ask any questions like this,” he admitted. “He just asked me where I was just before the murder, about if I noticed anything odd in the kitchen, why Jake was in here.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him I was just trying to help the boy. I was suggesting other jobs he might apply to, now that he’s been fired.” He shrugged. “With Shakeman dead, I’m not so sure it matters.”

  “But that’s only a partial truth?” Maddy asked, sincerely interested. “There is more to your relationship?”

  He leaned in. “The truth is, I’m his father.”

  Both women’s jaws dropped wide open.

  “E-excuse me?”

  “Yeah, his mother and I had a fling once upon a time. Afterward, she took off to make it big in Hollywood or something like that. A few years later, she shows back up here in town and tells me I’m the father and that she wants money from me.”

  “Money?” Sonja gasped. “That’s it?”

  “Yep, she wasn’t interested in a relationship with me, and she didn’t want her son to know.” He sighed. “So, I agreed that I would help her out with money if she allowed me to have a relationship with my son.”

  “And she did,” Sonja asserted.

  “On the condition that he didn’t know I was the father. I guess his mom was pretty worried that her son would think she was a floozy or something. I’m not sure. Still, we arranged to have them run into me at a local fair. I asked the boy to be on my soccer team, and I’ve been sort of looking out for him ever since.”

  “And paying the money to his mother?”

  “We didn’t involve any lawyers or legal stuff. I didn’t want to hassle with it, personally. So, I just helped them out when they needed it.”

  “Did she ever work here with you, at the grill, I mean,” Sonja asked.

  Handy shook his head. “No, she’s never worked here.”

  “So, she lied to her
son about that as well.”

  “He was only four or five,” Maddy pointed out. “Maybe he remembered incorrectly.”

  “Wait,” Sonja said, still confused. “If she never worked here, and she lied to her son about her dad, her job, and other things, then what is her relationship with Shakeman? Why would she tell Jake that Tanner was a mean man if she never even worked for him?”

  Both women looked to Handy for an answer.

  All he could do was shrug. “I have no idea. I didn’t know the two even knew each other. All I knew was that Shakeman seemed to loathe Jake, singled him out as an example to the other employees.”

  Sighing, the amateur sleuth leaned back in her chair. “Something definitely smells fishy,” she noted.

  CHAPTER 15

  * * *

  Dusk had just settled over the valley, covering it in low oranges and yellows, as the sun began to hide behind the mountain. Sonja pulled into the parking lot of the local library, parked, and walked inside. She’d dropped Maddy off at home, determined to talk to Belinda alone.

  The last time she’d brought Maddy along, the young psychic had taken one of the books from the occult section—and had irritated Belinda.

  Sonja thought it best that she do this portion of the research on this case without her young friend.

  Walking through the main lobby and into the large cathedral-like room, she spotted the volunteer librarian sitting at one of the tables. Her raven black hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a spider patterned scrunchy. She wore a black t-shirt with some sort of Celtic symbol on it, with matching earrings and a necklace.

  “Hey,” Sonja greeted her well-read friend, “you got my message?”

  “Sure did,” she smiled up at her. “You know I’d never pass up the chance to do some research with you.” She stood up. “Shall we?”

  The two women headed through a side door, down a twisting staircase, and into the small stone clad room that housed the sealed off occult section. Taking a seat, Sonja explained the situation—about the poltergeist type activity, about the flaming ghost, and about the spirit in the woods.