WHO HAUNTS LOFTUS MANOR? For Tommie Sykes inheriting Loftus Manor in Wetumpka, Alabama, is both a blessing and a curse. The beautiful old estate holds potential as an inn, and the legend that it’s haunted may be a boon. But the whispers that it’s cursed? Not good for business or Tommie’s health. Harley Jones has lived on the estate as groundskeeper for the past five years. He and the former owner, Samuel Loftus, found friendship and good company over games of chess and a glass of Scotch. Harley never believed Samuel’s rambling ghost stories about the manor. That is, until Samuel committed suicide and Tommie showed up to claim her inheritance. Now the strange happenings have him second guessing himself and following the lead of a strange black cat named Trouble. Rumors of ghosts and hauntings have Trouble on red alert. A ghostie is one thing, but murder is another kettle of fish for the black cat detective. The game is afoot and he’s on the job—finding clues and pushing Tommie and Harley toward romantic awareness—with his usual flair and keen observations of the “bipeds.”