Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks by Madison Johns Page A

privately.”
    “I understand, but have any of you ever been approached by anyone asking you to invest in a solar energy company?”
    “Sure have,” Mr. Wilson said. “But it weren’t no lady, that’s for sure.”
    “Meaning what?” Eleanor asked.
    “Just that it was some floozy I met at Barnacle Bill’s.” When Eleanor’s face reddened, he added, “I was there for Mexican Monday. They have the best wet burritos in town.”
    “Go on, Wilson,” I encouraged him.
    “She was dressed in a red dress and was damn near spilling out of it. I don’t remember much about the company she wanted me to invest in. When I told her I wasn’t looking for investments at my age, she disappeared real quick like, which was just as well since my food had arrived.”
    “Did you notice where she went?”
    “Nope. I was starving.”
    “Do you know what Katherine Clark looks like?”
    “I can’t say I do. That name doesn’t sound familiar to me.”
    I had no clue what I would do now since I didn’t have any pictures of Katherine.
    “There was some strumpet after my Frank the other day at the pier, but she ran off when I threatened to feed her a mouthful of knuckles.” Dorothy paused for a moment, and continued, “Now that Wilson mentioned it, she wore a red dress, too.”
    “It’s awfully embarrassing to admit you were swindled,” Elsie said. “I’m a very proud woman, but since some of you have been so candid, I have to admit that a woman in a red dress gave me a stock tip about a solar company, International Energy, I think she called it. She told me I could get in on the ground floor. I don’t know why, but I gave her the money. She sounded so convincing and the forms I filled out looked official.”
    “Did you check up on them first, like online, or have an attorney look over the documents?”
    Elsie hung her head. “No, Katherine told me time was of the essence. So I went to the bank and withdrew the funds.”
    “Why not write a check?”
    “She wanted cash. They put a hold on substantial checks. You know that, Agnes.”
    I squeezed Elsie’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Elsie. We senior citizens make for perfect victims. It makes me sick that someone would be taken in like that. How much did you give her?”
    “Twenty thousand.”
    Frank Alton whistled. “Wow, Elsie. You’ve never been one to let your cash stray far from you.”
    She squared her shoulders. “No need to rub it in, Frank.”
    “Don’t blame my Frank just because you made a bad decision. I sure hope you won’t lose your house,” huffed Dorothy.
    Elsie sat down in a huff. “I’m not that stupid, Dorothy.”
    “Well, you sure were stupid enough not to at least check out the woman. You could at least have checked on Facebook.”
    “Oh, are you on Facebook, Dorothy?” I asked.
    “Yes, but I’m only on there to keep track of my family. That granddaughter of mine has been dating one of the Hill boys on and off. I can’t tell you how upset that makes me.”
    I imagined she might feel that way since the Hill boys are part of the Michigan Militia, but there’s no sense fussing about anyone your grown-up granddaughter decides to date. I should know, since my granddaughter, Sophia, dated Trooper Sales before she ended up pregnant. But, he made it right and married her before the baby was born. Besides, Curt and Curtis Hill weren’t all that bad. They’d helped me out on occasions like when my awning came crashing down after Eleanor had crashed into it once.
    “No need to make Elsie feel bad. She wasn’t the only one in town to be conned out of money,” I said without elaborating further.
    “Nope,” Eleanor said. “Even Jack Winston got conned.”
    Gasps split the air. “Well,” Elsie said. She quickly diverted her eyes. “That’s—”
    “Well, deserved,” Dorothy butted in. “The way that man carries on with all those bimbos is just dreadful. Why, back when his wife was alive, he even cheated on her.”
    Elsie cleared