A Deadly Lesson (Storage Ghost Murders Book 5) (5 page)

Chapter 12

Grace
felt better after supplementing her bag of lettuce with a Pot Noodle that she
found at the back of a kitchen cupboard. She quietly called out for Pearl when
Frankie wasn’t within earshot. The old ghost didn’t appear. She had never been
absent for this long before and Grace was beginning to worry. Abbie had also
made herself scarce.

Frankie
and Grace were busy in the shop for the rest of the day. At four-thirty Big Bob
entered the shop. He had to duck to get his bear-like frame through the door.

He
walked over to Grace and dangled a set of keys in front of her. “Don’t shout
but I’ve taken the liberty of organising a car for you.”

“What?”
Grace took a step back.

Big
Bob faltered at her expression, he lowered the keys. “Oh! Me and my big ideas!
Sorry, Grace, I wasn’t thinking straight. My brother is selling his car and I
immediately thought of you. Ignore me, I’ll take it away.”

“What
sort of car is it?” Frankie asked.

“A
Ford Focus, dark blue, five years old. He’s taken good care of it. Don’t pay me
any attention, Grace, I’ll drive it back to him.”

“Where
is it now?” Grace asked.

“I’ve
parked it round the back.” There was a pause. “Are you interested? You could
have it for the night, drive it around, see what you think.”

Grace
looked at the floor and muttered, “I don’t know.”

Frankie
said, “At least have a look at it. Big Bob’s come round specially. It won’t
hurt to look at it. You can even sit inside it and pretend to drive.”

Grace
looked up. Big Bob was smiling at her expectantly. He was so kind. She held her
hand out. “Thank you, that’s very thoughtful. I’ll have a look at it.”

Big
Bob nodded and dropped the keys into her hand. “No pressure. If you don’t like
it, just let me know. Frankie, are you ready?”

“I
am. Grace, lock up. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Frankie reached for his coat.

“Where
are you going?” Grace asked.

“Out.
Don’t forget to lock the till.”

Big
Bob threw Frankie a disgusted look. “Don’t talk to your sister like that.
Grace, we’re going to look at shop premises, I’m thinking of branching out. I’d
like Frankie’s opinion.”

Frankie’s
chest puffed out, Grace struggled to keep her laugh in. She said, “Okay, have a
good time.”

Grace
closed the shop five minutes after Frankie left. If she was going to drive that
car she didn’t want to get stuck in rush hour traffic. And, it was already dark
outside.

“What
am I thinking? I can’t drive at this time of the day!” Grace said to herself.

Abbie
appeared and said, “Course you can, stop being a wimp.”

“I
can’t help it, I know I’m a wimp. There’ll be a bus in ten minutes. I’ll think about
the car tomorrow.”

Grace
stepped out of the shop and in to a downpour. Muttering to herself she walked
around to the back of the shop and stopped at the little blue car. It was a
lovely car.

Grace
got in and immediately switched the engine on. If she didn’t give it too much
thought she could just get going. The radio came on. One of Mum’s favourite
songs was playing. Grace laughed and said, “Okay! I’ll do it!”

Abbie
sat at Grace’s side as Grace drove home, as confidently as she could whilst
gripping the steering wheel tightly.

It
was a strange feeling to be parking a car in front of her house. Grace liked
it. She gave her new car a friendly tap as she locked it up. She almost felt
like saying thank you to it.

Grace
settled Abbie down in front of a season of Supernatural that she’d missed.
After yet another ready meal, Grace decided to check her emails.

Two
people had replied to her query about Last Hope Repossessions.

The
first came from Bertha - ‘That company is wonderful! The bank were going to
take my house but that nice girl sorted everything out for me. I sold my house
to them in no time! And now I’m paying rent and I get to stay in my lovely
home. That company was a god-send! Highly recommended!’

The
second came from Tom - ‘They’re a bunch of lying criminals! Don’t go anywhere
near them. They trick people into selling their homes at ridiculously low
prices, they get them to pay a low rent to begin with. Then the thieves
increase the rent so that no one can afford to pay them. It happened to one of
my mates, he ended up moving out of his house because he couldn’t afford the
rent that those thieving sods made him pay! His house is now for sale at double
what those scumbags paid him. Keep right away from them! What I want to know is
how do they know when someone is having trouble with their mortgage? It’s an
inside job, that’s what it is. Search the Internet, you’ll find the truth.’

Grace
sat back and looked at the message again. She was inclined to believe Tom,
rather than Bertha. Julianne’s company was up to no good. Did Julianne have
contacts at the bank still? Did they let her know when one of their customers
was in trouble? Did the informant get a cut of the profits? Grace had another
thought. Didn’t Abbie say her dad worked at the bank? Was he the informant?

Had
Abbie found out what Julianne and her dad were up to? No, Abbie said Julianne’s
business had started up after she died. But still – maybe Julianne had
been making plans about setting the business up, and Abbie had found out about
it.

Hmm.
She was going to have to speak to Julianne.

Grace
hadn’t noticed Abbie was behind her until Abbie let out a gasp. “I can’t
believe Julianne’s involved in something like that! That Tom must be lying!
Creep!”

Grace
turned to face Abbie. “You said that on the morning of your birthday, you and
Julianne were arguing. Can you remember any more about the argument?”

Abbie’s
face screwed up in concentration. Her confused look was suddenly replaced by a
horrified one. She said, “I remember! I knew about the company. I heard her and
Carlos talking about it. Carlos said it would be like taking money from a baby.
Dad was involved somehow. I got mad with Julianne and said I’d tell Mum
everything! Then Julianne said something funny, she said really calmly, ‘We’ll
talk about it after the party.’”

Abbie
slid slowly to the floor. Grace crouched at her side. Abbie looked at her and
said, “Do you think Julianne killed me? To keep me quiet?”

Grace
truthfully said, “I’m not sure yet – but it is a possibility.”

Chapter 13

Abbie
refused to speak for the rest of the night. She sat on the sofa and stared
morosely at the television. Grace tried to gently coax her out of her silence,
but Abbie ignored her.

Grace
could see she was wasting her time so she slid another DVD of Supernatural into
the player and pressed, ‘Play All’. Then she bade Abbie a cheerful goodnight,
getting a grunt in return.

Grace
could understand why Abbie was in a bad mood but her silence wasn’t going to
help them find out who killed her. Maybe she’d feel better in the morning.

Grace
certainly did. She woke up with a plan. Making her way to the living room Grace
opened her computer and brought it to life.

Abbie
pointed at the TV and grumbled, “You have to put the next disc in. I tried to
wake you but you were snoring.”

With
a bright smile, Grace said, “I’m sure I wasn’t snoring, and, no, I don’t have
to put another disc in. I’ve got an idea.” Grace typed something into the
computer and soon had what she was looking for. She picked up her phone.

Curiosity
got the better of Abbie. She flittered over to Grace’s side and said, “Who are
you phoning at this time?”

Grace
tapped the computer screen and then held a hand up to silence Abbie. “Oh, yes.
Good morning to you too. I’d like to book an appointment for one of your agents
to visit me. Yes, I’m having trouble paying my mortgage.”

“Are
you?” Abbie asked.

Grace
shook her head at Abbie. She continued, “That would be great. One of my friends
recommended you, she said that a woman called Julianne came round to see her.
Is it possible for me to have the same person? It is? Great. Okay, six o’clock
tonight.” Grace gave her details and then ended the call.

“What
are you up to?” Abbie said. “I don’t want Julianne coming here.”

“Well,
I do. I need to find out more about her business, and what kind of person she
is. I can’t spend hours searching on the Internet for more information. And,
not only that, I’m going to see your friend, Brooke, at the travel agent’s
today.”

Abbie
folded her arms. “You’re very bossy.”

Grace
gave her a gentle smile. “I want to find out who killed you. You appeared to me
for a reason and I’ll do what I can to help you. I’m sure you don’t want to
hang around me forever.”

Abbie’s
arms fell to her side. “But where will I go? When all this is over? I don’t
want to be alone.”

“From
what I’ve seen of other ghosts who move on, you won’t be alone. It seems like
you’ll have family and friends waiting for you.”

Abbie
picked up the bottom of her floaty top and began to fiddle with it. “I want my
mum.”

“That’s
something else I’m going to do, I’m going to find out where your mum is. Okay?”

Abbie
looked up and nodded.

Grace
said, “I’ll put the next disc in for you whilst I have some breakfast. Then
we’ll be ready to go.”

Grace
was so intent on getting things done that she didn’t feel at all nervous as she
drove to work. She parked at the back of the shop and walked jauntily through
to the main part.

Frankie
gave her a suspicious look. “What’s wrong with you? Did you crash Big Bob’s
car? Are you wanting me to take the blame for you? I won’t! You sort your own
mess out!”

“I
haven’t crashed the car, I’ve driven it. And, I’ve enjoyed driving it. I’ve had
a good night’s sleep, and I’m raring to go.” She looked at some nearby shelves.
“I’ll get my duster out, it’s amazing how quickly dust settles, isn’t it?”

Frankie
shrugged. “I can’t see any dust.”

Abbie
followed Grace through to the kitchen and sank on to a chair. “Grace, I don’t
feel very well. I think I’m nervous about seeing Julianne and Brooke. Can I sit
here for a while?”

“Of
course. If you see Pearl, will you let me know? I wonder where she’s gone.”

Grace’s
good mood lessened as she thought about Pearl. A sudden panic shot through her.
Had Pearl gone for good?

Grace
put all her energy into cleaning the shop. She was enthusiastic about helping
customers, and she made Frankie many cups of tea.

Frankie
scowled at her. “Stop being so happy, it’s not normal. You’re getting on my
nerves.”

Grace
ignored him. At lunch-time she went into the kitchen and asked Abbie if she
wanted to come with her to see Brooke at the travel agent’s.

Abbie
rubbed her stomach and grimaced. “I suppose so. It’ll be nice to see her again,
even if she can’t see me.”

Grace
shouted out a goodbye to Frankie and left the shop by the back door. Abbie
hovered several inches off the pavement as they walked along.

Grace
paused at the entrance to the travel shop. It really was expensive looking, she
half-expected to see a uniformed doorman guarding the entrance.

Grace
stepped into the shop. It even smelled expensive. Posters of exotic beaches
were on the wall – in frames, not stuck on with tape.

“I
can’t see Brooke anywhere,” Abbie said.

An
over-made-up sales assistant shot Grace a brilliant-white smile and said, “Good
afternoon, madam. How may I help you? Please, take a seat. Would you like a hot
beverage? We have a variety of herbal teas and speciality coffees.”

Grace
smiled and sat down. “How kind, a coffee would be nice, thank you.” She quickly
scanned the posters. If she was going to lie, she might as well make it a good
one. “I’ve come into some unexpected money and I’d like to book a world cruise.
I want to travel first-class, no expense spared.”

A
shadow fell over the smiling assistant and she seemed to shiver. A cold voice
said, “Chantelle, take your break. I’ll deal with this customer.”

Chantelle’s
voice trembled as she said, “I don’t mind, I can wait for my break.”

The
cold voice continued, “That wasn’t a request.”

Abbie
floated into the chair at Grace’s side. She beamed and said, “It’s Brooke!”

Grace’s
glance moved upwards. That was Brooke?

Chapter 14

Brooke
folded her arms and waited for Chantelle to vacate her seat. Chantelle gave
Grace an embarrassed smile and walked away. She stopped in her tracks when
Brooke loudly clicked her fingers. Chantelle looked back over her shoulder, an
eyebrow raised.

Brooke
tutted and barked out, “Coffee! Now! And get me a mint tea.”

Brooke
turned towards Grace and lowered herself into the empty chair. Grace could feel
herself staring, but she couldn’t help it. Brooke looked years older than Abbie
would have been now. Her dyed blonde hair was pulled back and piled on top of
her head, the texture of it was so shiny that it looked plastic. Her hair must
have been pulled back too tightly because Brooke’s face had a stretched look to
it – unless that was how she always looked. Grace blinked as she looked
closer at Brooke’s eyes. Her eyes were small but her eyelashes were huge, Grace
could see each one individually. She must spend a fortune on mascara. An image
came to Grace of those spiders that have little bodies and great big legs. It
looked like two of them had scuttled on to Brooke’s face and taken up
residence.

Brooke’s
mouth was small and pinched, it had been painted a vibrant red. The painted
lips moved fractionally and Grace realised with a shock that Brooke was
smiling. Grace involuntarily sat further back in her chair. There was something
cold and mean about this woman.

Brooke
spoke, “I heard you talking about a world cruise. We have many options. Where
do you want to go, and how much deposit do you want to pay today?”

“I
wasn’t planning on paying a deposit today,” Grace began. She glanced at Abbie,
she was smiling at Brooke as if she was her favourite person in the world. Had
Brooke been this rude to Abbie?

Brooke
wasn’t listening to Grace, she had placed her phone on the table and was now
reading a message. Her mouth moved a fraction more, but only to one side. She
turned her attention back to Grace and said, “We take a fifty per cent deposit,
non-returnable. How will you be paying?”

Grace
frowned and sat up straighter. “I didn’t say I was going to pay a deposit. I
haven’t made my mind up as to where I want to go.”

Abbie
clapped her hands and said, “Tell her the places that we were going to visit! I
wonder if she went after I died.”

Abbie
reeled the destinations off and Grace repeated them to Brooke. She had to pause
at one moment as Brooke read another text message. If Brooke recognised the
proposed locations, she showed no indication of it.

Grace
tried a different approach. “I wished I’d done this when I was younger. Maybe
taken a year out of education, I could have travelled around the world with a
good friend. Have you ever done that?”

Brooke
smirked. “I knew someone who wanted to do that once. She was a real loser. I
shouldn’t tell you her name, but it was Abbie. Doesn’t matter if you know it,
she’s dead now. She wanted to go round the world, she even thought I’d go with
her. As if! She was such a pain. I met her at primary school, followed me round
like a lost puppy. I felt sorry for her. She had an adopted sister, Julianne.
Julianne was the pretty one. It’s supposed to follow that Abbie had the brains.
But she didn’t. She couldn’t even pass her driving test! What an idiot, I
passed mine on the first go. There again, Abbie did have an idiot of a driving
instructor. Two idiots together.”

Out
of the corner of her eye, Grace saw Abbie sinking further and further into the
chair. Grace said, “That must have been awful for you, having someone hanging
round you like that.”

Brooke
pulled a look of disgust. “I can’t believe I let her hang around so long. She
was always asking for my opinion. She had no idea of what to wear, or who to
talk to. I had to tell her everything! Honestly, I could have wrung her neck
sometimes. I’m glad she’s dead. How are you paying the deposit?”

Grace
pressed her lips together. Brooke was a heartless so-and-so, it was obvious to
anyone. But saying she was glad Abbie was dead was out of line. Brooke had just
become a suspect.

Brooke’s
phone beeped again. Grace coldly said, “I’m sorry, am I keeping you from
something?”

“Yes.
It’s my boyfriend, Ethan. I’m supposed to be meeting him soon. He’s another one
that Abbie bothered. She actually thought he liked her! Ha! Loser.”

Grace
turned to look at Abbie properly. Abbie turned shock-filled eyes towards her
and said, “I can’t believe it. Why would she say that about me? I thought she
was my friend.”

Grace
shook her head sadly. Abbie could do without a friend like that, even if she
was now dead. Grace stood up. Brooke looked up from her phone.

Grace
took great delight in raising her voice loudly and saying, “I won’t be booking
a holiday with you. I find your manner rude and totally unacceptable. I shall
take my business elsewhere.”

Grace
thought she heard a faint cheer from the back end of the travel agent’s. The
spider legs on Brooke’s face didn’t move. Brooke said, “Whatever.”

Grace
moved a bit closer and said, “I don’t think you understand. You’ve lost a lot
of money today from me. I’ve a good mind to speak to your manager.”

Brooke
sniffed and said, “I am the manager. Have you finished? The door’s over there.”

Abbie
shot out of her chair and around to Brooke’s side. She peered at her phone and
then nodded her head. She said to Grace, “I know where she’s meeting Ethan.
Let’s follow her.”

Grace
really wanted nothing more to do with Brooke but it would be interesting to see
Ethan. Did he really dislike Abbie too? Or was Brooke lying? If they were a
couple had they planned to make a fool of Abbie? And – had they made a plan
to get rid of her?

Grace
couldn’t think of any more scathing words to say so she settled for a
disapproving look. The look was wasted as Brooke had already turned her
attention back to her phone.

Grace
left the shop and stepped into a side alley. She couldn’t talk to Abbie in
public.

“Well,”
Grace began. “Are you sure she wasn’t like that when you were alive?”

Abbie
shook her head. “She was always nice to me. Other people didn’t like her, but
she said they were jealous of our friendship. I don’t know why she’s meeting
Ethan, she always said she hated him. He can’t be her boyfriend! I don’t
understand what’s going on.”

“Me
neither.” Grace peered around the wall. “She’s left the travel agent’s. Let’s
follow her. If we meet Ethan are you prepared to hear what he says about you.”

Abbie
nodded sadly and looked down at her purple trainers. “I wish I wasn’t dead. It
hurts, why does it hurt?”

“It
won’t hurt for much longer. Come on,” Grace said. She stepped out of the alley,
Abbie followed her.