Page 7 of Dead Calm (Cold Case Psychic #38)

The rest of the voyage passed without incident.

No one else blew chunks and the kids had a lot of fun helping with the sailboat and watching the dolphins that swam at the ship’s bow.

Everyone agreed they’d love to go sailing again.

Ronan looked a little green at the idea, but if there was a next time, Ten would make sure Ronan took his Dramamine like a good boy.

Thankfully, once the detectives were back on shore, they’d been able to drink a little bit of chicken broth.

All three were taking a nap in hopes of feeling better before dinner.

Jace and Cope were down at the beach with the kids.

Ten was going to join them, but he wanted to take a few minutes to himself before leaving the suite.

He opened the door to the deck and took a deep breath of sea air.

Just like the porch on the first floor, this one on the second had rocking chairs.

Ten walked to the railing and caught sight of the kids.

Everly, Wolf, and Aurora were playing in the water with Ezra and Lizbet.

None of them were deeper than mid-calf. Jace and Cope had dragged lounge chairs to the surf line.

It looked like they were dangling their feet in the ocean like you’d do in a swimming pool.

Snapping several pictures of everyone, Ten turned to walk back into the suite, when he spotted a woman sitting in one of the rocking chairs a few feet away.

She wore a light grey dress with an apron attached to the bodice.

If Ten didn’t know better, he would have thought she was someone from central casting on the set of Downton Abbey .

“May I?” Ten asked, indicating the chair beside her.

The young woman nodded and he took a seat. “I’m Tennyson Grimm.”

“Vivienne LaRue. I’ve heard good things about you from your family. Same with Cope.” She pointed toward the beach. “I was hoping to catch you alone, and here we are.”

“Why didn’t you show yourself sooner?” Ten asked. Showing up when Lainie had been talking about her the other night would have been a good time to pop in and say hello.

Vivienne bowed her head. “Several years ago, men came here when the hotel was closed for the winter with all kinds of equipment. Cameras and boxes that sound like static when a radio is out of tune. They yelled and shouted for me to appear. One in particular tried to bait me with comments about Walter and asked if he was the one who killed me.”

“I am so sorry that happened to you. The men were most likely ghost hunters and were trying to get evidence that ghosts exist. In some cases, spirits are able to move objects and make their voices heard. I’m not a fan of the way these guys yell and scream.

” Not a fan was a gross understatement. Ten understood that people were interested in the paranormal, but there were kinder and gentler ways to find spirits that didn’t include traumatizing them for television ratings.

“I’m honored you chose to show yourself to me. ”

“Your little girl is very sweet. She could sense me and said that she would love to be my best friend. She is a remarkable child.”

“Yes she is. We’re very proud of Everly.

” Ten took a deep breath. Vivienne had been badly mistreated, not only at the hands of Walter Todd, but also from the ghost hunters who’d come to Hurricane Pointe.

“Everly has helped so many spirits cross over. Would you like her to help you with that as well?”

Vivienne shook her head. “Walt is gone. I’m safe here. The ocean is beautiful. I have winters to myself here, but for the caretaker who lives on the top floor of the barn.”

The barn had been remodeled and converted into hotel rooms in the early 1980s. “That sounds lovely, Vivienne, but lonely at the same time. Have you ever seen the white light?”

“I have. It was a long time ago. My mother beckoned me to her, but I refused to go. I did not want to run into Walt again. It turns out, so many women needed me here.”

Ten’s heart broke for Vivienne. The idea of not going to heaven just in case your abusive boyfriend was there was beyond tragic. “Who are the women who need you to stay?”

“Women like me who are scared, trapped, or who can’t leave the men who hurt them. I don’t want them to be alone.” Vivienne sniffled and blotted her eyes with a white handkerchief.

“Are you worried about Lainie? We saw her boyfriend being rough with her last night.”

“I am very worried for Lainie. When she and Kurt came to the hotel, they were the sweetest couple. So much in love. As the summer wore on, things began to change. Kurt started by being jealous of the attention guests at the hotel paid to her. Then he started shouting at her, saying that Lainie loved the men flirting with her. That progressed into him grabbing her arm, dragging Lainie behind him. I am afraid of what’s to come.

” Vivienne paused. She began blotting her eyes again.

“You’re worried he’s going to hit her.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Vivienne agreed. She stood and smoothed down her rumpled apron. “If you’ll excuse me, Lainie is coming on duty at the Taproom. I must go to her.”

“Vivienne, before you go, I just want you to know that Everly has the power to summon the white light. If you get to a point where you want to cross over, she will be happy to help you. We’re also going to be there for Lainie if things get worse with Kurt.”

“As I said, Everly is truly a remarkable child. Thank you, Tennyson. Perhaps we will speak again.” Nodding, Vivienne vanished.

Heading back into his suite, Ten checked on Ronan, who was snoring, and headed downstairs. He was tempted to also check in on Lainie, but he knew that if there was trouble, Vivienne would come find him.

When Ten stepped onto the first floor porch, there wasn’t a seat to be had. Groups of vacationers were drinking fruity cocktails and laughing together. He walked down the stairs and through the gorgeous grounds until he reached the beach.

“Hi, Dad!” Everly called from the water, where Ezra was splashing her.

“You look like you’re having fun!” Ten snapped a few pictures of the kids playing in the water.

“This is the best day ever!” Everly squealed when Wolf splashed her.

Ten took a seat between Jace and Cope.

“I’m getting a feeling today isn’t the best day ever for you.” Cope nudged Ten’s shoulder. “Is Ronan okay?”

“He was sleeping like a baby when I left. He’ll be fine by tomorrow morning. Thankfully, Fitz only booked one sailing trip.”

Cope chuckled. “Okay, so if it’s not Ronan, what’s wrong?”

“I met Vivienne LaRue on the porch. She was sitting in the rocking chair outside your room.” Ten hated to ruin Cope’s vacation like this. Everything had been all fun and games when they thought no ghosts inhabited the hotel.

“You’re not ruining my vacation. What did Vivienne tell you? Was she murdered?” Cope asked.

“We didn’t get that far.” Ten shook his head.

He knew that would have been the first question Ronan or Jude would have asked, but in his opinion, the spirit had been through enough interrogations thanks to the ghost hunting team.

“She told me how impressed she was with Everly, who invited Vivienne to be her best friend. I’m not sure if she could sense the spirit, but she made the offer to help if Vivienne needed it. ”

“It’s possible she might still be sensitive about how she died,” Cope suggested.

“Vivienne told me she’s stayed at the hotel all of these years to look out for women in similar violent circumstances to her own. She doesn’t ever want them to be alone. Right now, she’s very worried about Lainie, our bartender, from last night.”

“We’re all worried about her. Jude asked me to check in on her this evening if he isn’t well enough to get out of bed. Did Vivienne know anything about Lainie’s situation that could help us to help her?”

“She said something a little odd.” Ten hadn’t been able to get this particular fact out of his mind.

“Vivienne said that when Lainie and Kurt first came to the hotel, they had a great relationship. There was no fighting, no raised voice, no threats of violence. As the summer went on, the verbal abuse and control started.”

“Did the same thing happen to Vivienne and Walt?” Cope asked.

“I don’t know. There wasn’t time to ask.” Ten should have asked several questions. It wasn’t like him to let an opportunity like that pass him by. “What are you thinking?”

“If that was the case with Vivienne and Walt it sounds like history is repeating itself with Lainie and Kurt.”

Ten nibbled his lower lip. “That makes a lot of sense. We need to find out what happened to Walt after he left the hotel during the hurricane.”

“Exactly. We didn’t know Vivienne was here until she showed herself to you. Everly knew, but hadn’t shared that information with you. Do you think Walt is here and Everly is keeping him a secret?”

“I don’t know,” Ten admitted. “I’d planned to have a talk with her before dinner about Vivienne, but now I’ll add Walt into the picture.

Before I do that, I need more information on Walt and what happened to him post-hurricane.

Maybe we can have a quick chat with Lainie.

” As Ten spoke, his phone chirped. “Ronan’s back among the living. ”

“Why don’t you guys have a chat with Everly and Lainie,” Cope said. “I’ll keep Ezra. He and Lizbet are having the time of their lives.”

“Thanks, Cope. I appreciate that.” Ten had wanted to sit down and talk to his daughter and Ronan about Lainie and Vivienne in the first place. The idea that Walt could be here and be the one operating Kurt’s strings was disturbing.

Ten had enjoyed the first two ghost-free days of the trip, but now, it was time to get to work.