Life at Christmas
Chapter 18
Kate had questioned Rick until she fell asleep last night. While she had missed out on making love to him then, she thought her questions and his answers were more important.
She hadn't gotten either of her dresses back yesterday so this morning she put on more normal clothing along with her high heels.
It was December 31, 2011 and it was her last day with Rick. After today he would still be here but she wouldn't see him, hear him, or feel him.
She was dressed and so was Rick but she delayed starting her day so she could hold onto him. Her fears made her heart hurt and tears pooled in her eyes. However, this really wasn't her. She was stronger than this. "Have fun, babe." She kissed him but his kiss felt different. It was like if she tried hard enough she could kiss right through him.
It had already started. He was disappearing on her already.
Kate tried to keep her mind on her job but it wasn't easy. She was wiping away tears when her ride showed up to go pick up her dad.
"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked since Kate was still wiping her eyes.
"I'm fine." It was her standard response and she immediately recognized it, but that was after she could come up with a different answer.
"Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?" Charlotte inquired.
"My what?" Kate's eyes opened wide.
"Small town remember? Even smaller inn. Everyone knows everything in this town," she reminded Kate.
Living in a small town really was different. "No, we didn't have a fight. I'm going back to New York City soon and I'm going to miss him." Kate needed to tell a white lie instead of saying he was their ghost and that she was in love with a ghost.
"And you have something you have to finish first." Charlotte had heard that several times.
"Yes. I really need to solve this first. It's important," Kate said for the umpteenth time.
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"DAD!" She saw him get off the train with a small bag and a briefcase so she ran to reach him. Next thing Jim knew he was being hugged.
For Jim this was very different. Katie hadn't hugged him in a long time it seemed. If this place did this to her then she needed to stay here forever. Forget New York City.
He put what he was carrying down so he could hug her back and soak up the moment. Then just like that the moment was over when she let go of him and picked up the larger of his two carry-ons.
"I have a car waiting. You should see this place." Kate just knew he was going to love it. She certainly did. "How was your trip?" She had made it a few times and didn't find it to be bad.
"It was nice enough. I actually had a window seat so I got to see where I was going," Jim said. "I take it that it's cold outside." Kate was wearing a big coat and while he was wearing a coat it probably wasn't going to be warm enough based on Katie and others that he saw.
Kate nodded. "Yeah, it's rather chilly. I've been told that December isn't really all that cold. January's supposed to be the worst month around here. Not to worry, the car and the inn have heat. And I'm giving you my bed."
"Katie…" Jim was all set to argue that anything would be fine with him.
"I don't want to hear it. You get the bed and I get a roll-away. It'll be fine." Kate walked him to the car and tapped the trunk to get Charlotte to open it so she could put his bags inside.
"Dad, this is Charlotte. Charlotte's one of the staff. This is my dad, Jim."
"A pleasure, Mr. Beckett. We've been trying to talk Kate into staying here permanently. It will be good to have another voice." Charlotte automatically assumed that Jim would see it their way.
Kate glared at her. "Ignore her. They all know full well that I have a job I need to return to and that I have a project I have to finish before I decide what to do." Kate glared at Charlotte again.
"I've learned from experience that you can't talk Katie into anything if she's already decided. She's stubborn and takes after her mother in that way," Jim informed Charlotte and ignored the daggers Kate sent his way. "However, I'm with you. This job would be far safer than the one in the city."
"Thanks a lot, Dad." Kate did wonder what her dad was thinking and guessed that she knew now.
"I lost my wife then almost lost my only daughter to one event. Her job's dangerous and I sit at home wondering if that next phone call is going to be someone telling me I just lost my daughter forever as well. But she's stubborn so she doesn't listen," Jim said with a sigh.
Kate sat there and watched where they were going. She didn't see her job as being that dangerous. But as usual she didn't consider what her decisions did to others. And at the time she had needed to find out who had killed her mother very badly. A year of therapy, this place, and Rick had gotten to her.
"So how do you like Holly and working at the inn?" Jim was afraid he'd already said too much since Katie was sitting in silence and probably was angry at him.
"Holly is the only place to live. There isn't enough tea in China to get me to live in New York City. No offense, but it sounds dirty, dangerous, and expensive. Working at the inn is perfect. I'm never going to get rich working there, but I've got more friends than anyone in New York City. And it's nice clean little city with no violence or drugs. And no World Trade Center. …Sorry." Charlotte had opened her big mouth just a little too much.
"No offense, we don't have a World Trade Center any longer, either. That was a really dark day for the city. And you're right it's a little dirty, there's crime, and it's very expensive. It's just that big cities have their place and their uses. Small towns aren't for everyone," Jim mentioned as Charlotte drove.
"Point taken." Charlotte gave him that one.
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"Welcome to downtown Holly. During Christmas this road was closed and filled with tents selling almost everything. Kate should really have a car so she could get down here and see it next year. Between the tents and what's being sold in them, and the lights and music that plays all night long, it's a magical place." Charlotte loved Holly.
"Music, no one told me anything about music." Kate wondered just what she missed.
"It was all Christmas music. But not those cheap jingle bells songs. Besides you made it clear what you thought of Christmas at the time," Charlotte retorted.
"Yeah, sorry." Kate had been wrong about ghosts and this place was Christmas and nothing but Christmas. It was hard to stay indifferent to Christmas let alone hate it.
Charlotte and Jim looked at each other as Kate stared at the floor of the car. They silently questioned whether Kate had finally seen the light or if they'd at least reached her.
"And here we are," Charlotte announced and drove slowly up the drive so Jim could take it all in. "Wait until it gets dark and all the lights come on!" Charlotte enthused.
"You should see my light bill, too," Kate added and rolled her eyes at just how big the damn bill was.
Jim had his eyes wide open as he looked at the place. Yes, he saw a lot of Christmas stuff and yes, even the inn itself, thanks to the red bricks and green roof, looked Christmasy. Still looking past all the color and Christmas decorations it was a lovely building.
"I don't remember this." Jim knew he, his wife, and Katie when she was young had been here to see Abigail years ago. However, seeing this place didn't stir any memories.
Stepping out in the cold made Jim aware that he didn't have a heavy enough coat to be outside for long. So he helped Katie with his bags, went inside, and tried to shrug off the cold.
Kate didn't remember the lone guy on the front desk being there when she'd left. "What happened to Jen, I thought she was here."
"She called off sick and got me to take her place. She said it was just a cold," Shawn said.
"Shawn, this is my dad, Jim. I'm putting him in my room. I'm gong to need a roll-away delivered later for me to use."
"Yes, ma'am. A pleasure to meet you, sir. Welcome to Magical Inn. I'm sure Kate will take good care of you," Shawn said with a smile.
"This way, Dad." Kate led him to what was now their room.
Jim took a peek inside the dining room and sitting room and looked at all the antiques down the hallway to her room. Then he saw the key she was using to unlock the door and broke into a smile.
Once inside the room he saw the Christmas tree, fireplace, one big bed, a lone armoire, and a door that he was guessing led to a bathroom. He also saw more antique paintings hanging on the wall.
"A Christmas tree?" Jim couldn't resist questioning his daughter. He knew what both of them thought about Christmas now and why.
"It grows on you," Kate shrugged as she closed and locked the door. "The bathroom's through the door if you need it." They were going probably to be in this room for a bit.
"I'm good," Jim said.
"There's one more person you need to meet." Kate wasn't sure how he was going to take this.
"I noticed that your staff thinks a lot about you." Jim wasn't blind.
"Yeah, they're all like that. One day I had three good friends and the next I know I had twenty-three or more. But I've got one you need to meet. He's more than just a friend. Rick, meet my dad." She was hoping he was already in here or would show up when she called him.
"Mr. Beckett, a pleasure to meet you, sir." Rick held out his hand and waited for Jim to shake it.
"Rick, my dad, Jim. Dad, this is Richard Rodgers." Kate held her breath.
Jim gave him the once over and saw that he was well-dressed. His suit looked really nice if a little old fashioned. "Richard Rodgers." Jim stared at him for a moment. "The man you wanted me to look up?" He looked at him in a different light. He looked around to try and figure out where he had come from. It also had him looking around since he wasn't sure how he got here.
"You had your dad do a background check on me?" Rick didn't remember her doing that.
"I have to find out who murdered you, don't I? I need to know all I can. You know that." Kate hoped he understood.
Jim snapped his head around to look at Kate. "Murdered?" He didn't look dead to him.
"About that. Rick's a ghost. He's been dead for a long time. A really long time." She knew she had to get passed this part somehow. "He's solid today but tomorrow no one will see him again until next December." She was aware this was going to take some time. Hell, it had taken her more than just a few hours and they didn't have that much time left.
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Jim was sitting on the bed, sort of. Okay, mostly he was still standing and using the bed to lean up against. "So, only December which ends today." After listening to what these two had to tell him for what felt like the last two hours Jim was beginning to understand.
He even reached out and saw his hand go right through him. Rick and more Kate were upset that he was fading so fast.
"I need to find out who killed him and where his body is. He'll be trapped here forever if I don't," Kate explained again.
"But he's already dead. So why do you care?" In the movies Rick would just need a reason to move on. Why did Katie care so much?
"Because I love him." There, she'd admitted it to someone besides herself.
"You…what ?" Jim had been wondering if she would ever love anyone. Leave it to his daughter to fall in love with a dead man. "You really know how to pick'em, Katie, I'll give you that."
"Thanks a lot. Maybe something more helpful. If I don't solve his murder I'm not going to see him until next December, if even then. Abigail begged me to find out what happened to him so I need to do just that. Not just for her but for me. I don't want to lose him, Dad. So I need you to help me." She was in so deep that she almost didn't care who knew now.
"Well, I have learned a few things." Jim picked up his briefcase and opened it. He looked again at Rick and shook his head. This was a lot to process and he was going to need some time.
Jim took out a scan of two very old pictures and handed them to Kate. "Meet Gregg and Virginia Blaine."
Rick was standing right next to her and looked for himself. "That's them. I even remember taking those pictures. They actually survived all this time?" Rick didn't believe it.
"There was a note that they were taken by someone named Rodgers which I'm guessing is you," Jim said.
Kate actually had a picture of who she thought of as the enemy. "What else?" He had more than she had even if she hadn't been in the city for long. She kept taking vacations and time off to come here instead.
"They did indeed own an import and export business. Perhaps more importantly they also had a deal with a major railroad to transport everything almost anywhere within what was then the United States. Your idea that they lived a privileged life was correct," Jim told them. "I also found a few more pictures. Here's their one and only daughter. I haven't been able to find anything about her." He gave that one to Kate.
"That's Kyra." Rick didn't remember taking that particular picture but he must have at some point.
"A little short, maybe, but she's pretty," Kate reluctantly admitted. Thankfully Kyra was dead and Rick was hers now. If she could just figure out how to keep him.
Jim gave Kate another picture. "I found this one, too. I'm thinking it was a picture of all the girls and perhaps the staff at the time. It was a school for young girls then."
"I remember that one now," Rick stated. "Kyra and her friends." He proceeded to point them out. "I don't see her parents. They were there when I took this."
"The building looks a lot different now," Jim commented. It wasn't just that the photo was a sort of black and white photo. Just not today's black and white.
"It's changed over the years," Rick agreed.
"Here's what I found out about their import export business." Jim handed over a few sheets of paper.
"Cargo manifests. Do you recognize any of these?" Kate asked and glanced at Rick.
"Sulfuric acid, nitric acid, this one's a solvent, ammonium nitrate. Several of these are used or can be used in photography. Some are used when you can't get some of the others. All of them create vapors that aren't good for you. Not that many of us knew that at the time." Rick recognized a few. "Silver chloride, ammonia, silver iodide, mercury."
Kate pointed at one she knew well and what it did. "What about this one?"
Rick looked puzzled and shook his head. "Cyanide? It has no useful benefits in photography. No photographer has any reason to use that chemical."
"It's widely used in gold mines even today. A very dangerous chemical." Jim knew that chemical. "Back in World War II it was thought to kill quickly and painlessly. Hitler and others supposedly took it to kill themselves before the Russians found them."
"Cyanide's deadly when swallowed. It only takes an amount the size of a grain of rice to kill you. However, low doses, when someone's exposed over a long period of time, can cause swelling in the throat which can also be explained away as malnutrition," Kate explained. She had learned a few things being around Lanie all this time.
"When you were sick, what did it feel like?" Kate asked him.
"I coughed, my throat burned, I refused to eat and drink, sleep was difficult but it faded over time. But I never used cyanide. It had no useful purpose in my work," Rick insisted.
"No, but if it was mixed in with your other chemicals you'd never notice," Kate said, the pieces beginning to come together.
"Death by cyanide poisoning?" Jim was following her. "He would have never seen it coming. But why kill him? If I understand correctly he was just a common photographer. No offense."
"For the reason that Kyra's parents hated him. He wasn't good enough for their daughter. All they have to do is add some cyanide every time he processes a picture and he certainly took a few when he was here." Kate held up the pictures her dad had found and scanned.
"Because they didn't want me to be with Kyra? I know they didn't like me, but to kill me?" Rick couldn't see it. "Besides, doing anything themselves was beneath them."
"So they hire someone. Nothing new there, it happens all the time even today." Kate could easily see that. "Who do you remember being around you?"
"I always worked alone. Save for those few times that I tried teaching some of the girls in the school." Then Rick looked at Kate. "They were just girls."
"Did any of these girls just happen to be one of the ones you talked about earlier?" Kate asked him.
Rick tried to think. "One of them tried but she wasn't any good at it. You're not actually thinking…?" She was just a girl. She was even younger than Kyra was.
"Stupid kids have killed because they didn't get the right pack of bubble gum that would have cost them a dollar. Kyra's parents were rich. What would you do if you were offered to have all of your costs paid for and get you a job? She doesn't even have to understand what she's doing. Add a little cyanide when you're processing then either leave or stay.
"Why would they care if she lived or died? If she died with you then they didn't have to pay her anything. That's one thing about people that are super rich. They stay rich because they don't spend any more money than they have to.
"What was it worth to them to get rid of you?" Kate asked, her voice expressionless. It was the only way she could keep control of her emotions.
"You think Kyra knew?" Rick couldn't believe it of her.
"At the time, who knows? After you were dead and buried and she was out of school or at least this school…perhaps. She had to learn to be just like her parents if she wanted to stay rich and have access to other rich people."
"So Rick died here and was buried here?" Jim had been listening and saw his daughter nod. "Assume you're right for the moment. Rick dies and maybe the girl dies with him. Who buries him and where? Certainly not the parents. It would be in their best interest if their daughter simply thought you left her instead of thinking that her own parents were killers," Jim said, thinking their daughter might run away from her own parents if she learned they were killers.
Kate snapped her fingers. "They hire someone." Then she looked at Rick. "Where on this site did you do your work? Where did you use these chemicals? Can't be inside the school." Rick was too nice a man to subject all those girls to those fumes.
Rick opened his mouth as if to say something then turned to look where it used to be.
"Coats," Kate told her dad and snatched her own coat out of the armoire. Rick was going to show her where he'd worked when he was here. That might help her find his body. With all those girls around he and possibly that girl couldn't be carried far if they didn't want to be seen.
Now if one of her American flags happened to be close, she knew where to dig first.