A Deadly Lesson (Storage Ghost Murders Book 5) (11 page)

Chapter 27

Frankie
was waiting by the front door of the shop as Grace walked in. He frowned at her
and said, “What were you doing with that old wrinkly? Have you been on a date?”

Grace
pushed past him. “Don’t be silly. What’s wrong with you? Why are you looking
round the shop like that? And why have you got your coat on?”

Frankie
jumped and swivelled around. He turned back to her, his face white. “Did you
hear that?”

“Hear
what?”

Frankie
moved closer to her. He nodded towards the kitchen. “I keep hearing things. I
keep hearing some old woman shouting. I thought it was someone outside, maybe
something on the radio. Arghh! There it is again! Tell me you can hear it!”

“I
can’t hear anything,” Grace said, her eyes looking towards the kitchen,
searching for a grey-haired old ghost. “What is the old woman saying?”

Frankie
gulped and clutched Grace’s arm. “She said I have to go. Said she’s come back
now, and that I have to go. Are you sure you can’t hear her?”

Grace
pressed her lips together. She certainly heard something then, the familiar
cackle of Pearl. She couldn’t see her yet though.

Grace
turned to Frankie and said, “I think you need a rest, you’ve been working too
hard. Maybe that voice is your conscience, telling you to have a break. Take
the rest of the afternoon off.”

“But
where would I go? I can’t go to my room, I tried but I could still hear that
witchy voice.”

Grace
replied, “This would be a good time to look for somewhere new to live, you
can’t stay above the shop forever.”

“But
I like living here,” Frankie said in a sulky voice. “Can I go to your house?
Have you got some food in? Not that low fat crap stuff, I hate that.”

Grace
considered the matter. If Pearl’s voice was near, then the old ghost’s body
wasn’t far behind. “Course you can go to my house. Have a bath, have a sleep. I
think there’s a lasagne in the freezer.”

Frankie
nodded and looked back towards the kitchen. “I might get a takeaway on the way
back, those lasagnes are tiny.” He shivered. “I think I’m having a breakdown,
I’ll stay at yours tonight, you can keep an eye on me.” He took one last look
around the shop and then headed out of the door.

Grace
locked the door behind him. She needed to talk to Pearl – now. She called
out, “Pearl! I know you’re here! That wasn’t nice, playing tricks on Frankie.
Come on out! Please!”

There
was a chuckle, then a grinning mouth appeared. Abbie giggled, “She looks like
the Cheshire cat in that film, that bit where his mouth appears first.”

“I’m
not a cat!” Pearl appeared right in front of them, an indignant look on her
wrinkly face. “Watch what you’re saying, young lady!”

Grace
didn’t know whether to be angry or relieved. She chose the latter option.
“Pearl! Where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you.”

Pearl’s
face softened. “I’m sorry, I had to go. I had to take something with me,
something to protect young Abbie here.”

“Protect
me against what? I don’t need protecting!” Abbie declared.

Pearl
smiled at her and softly said, “Oh, you do need protecting. When Grace found
you, you were overcome with fear, and I know why. I’m holding on to the source
of that fear, for a little while longer.” Her smile faltered. “I can’t hold it
for much longer. Grace! Don’t look so worried. I’ll explain everything soon, I
promise.”

Abbie
folded her arms and said, “You’re mad. I’m not scared of anything.”

Grace
recalled how terrified Abbie had been when they’d first met. What had been
scaring her so much? And how much longer could Pearl keep that at bay? She
hadn’t missed the strain in Pearl’s face as she spoke.

Pearl
clapped her hands together. “Right then, I want to know everything. Have you
found out who knocked this slip of a girl over? And why? Let’s sit at the
kitchen table and you can tell me everything. Grace, you look like you could do
with a cup of tea.”

“I
could,” Grace agreed. She walked with the two ghosts into the kitchen and put
the kettle on. Once she had a cup of tea ready she told Pearl all that she had
found out.

Pearl
listened intently. “So, Abbie was knocked down at about ten-forty. Brooke and
someone else sneaked out of the party ten minutes before, so they’re suspects,
but we don’t know the identity of the first person who drove out of the car
park. I suspect that Carlos, he sounds a slippery customer. We know that
Abbie’s dad’s car left the car park too, which makes him a suspect, or he lent
his car to someone else that night. We know that Julianne, Carlos and Brooke
have dealings with that repossessions company. Are they in it together? Are
Carlos and Brooke an item? Oh! It seems like everyone has their secrets!”

Abbie
flew up above the kitchen table and cried out, “When are you going to listen to
me? I found out who Brooke was meeting today at the park! And why!”

Pearl
clicked her fingers and said, “Stop that right now. Get your skinny bottom in
that chair and keep it there.”

Abbie
did as she was told. She muttered, “Sorry.”

“That’s
okay,” Grace said. “I saw Carlos in the park. Was that who she was meeting?”

Abbie
looked disappointed. “Yeah.”

“Why
was she meeting him?” Grace asked.

Abbie
brightened. “They’re planning on running away together! Carlos said Julianne
was getting suspicious and even Derek had started asking questions about the
company.” Her face fell as she remembered something. “Carlos laughed and said
he couldn’t believe how stupid Julianne had been, and Derek. They believed
every lie that he’d told them. He was saying awful things about my family, I
didn’t know he could be like that. Then Brooke joined in, she said the whole
family was stupid and at least Dorothy was in the place where she belonged
– in the nut-house.”

Pearl
put her arm around Abbie and pulled her close. “Being dead hurts, doesn’t it.
You find out exactly what people are like. They can only hurt you if you let
them. They sound terrible people. Let your anger out, call them whatever name
you like! I don’t mind swear words, I could do with learning some new ones.”

Abbie
grinned. “I can’t say any in front of Grace.”

Grace
pulled a face at the pair of them and stood up. “You two potty-mouthed women
can go ahead. I think I heard someone at the shop door.”

Grace’s
ears turned red as she didn’t leave the kitchen quick enough before the cursing
began. She almost cursed herself when she opened the shop door and saw who was
standing there.

Chapter 28

Derek
Quill looked at Grace and said, “May I come in?”

Grace
couldn’t read the look on his face. Was he angry? Was he intending to shout at
her? Had Carlos being filling his head with lies? She stood to one side and
opened the door wider.

Derek
stepped through. “I wasn’t sure if your shop would be open. It says it should
be on the opening times thing on the door, but when I tried the door it was
locked. Then I read the times and days again to make sure I wasn’t going mad!
Then I checked my diary to make sure I had the right day.” He laughed. “Sorry,
I’m waffling. Dorothy used to say I could be a waffling champion!”

Grace
was relieved to see him smiling. She closed the door behind him and said,
“Would you like a cup of tea? We have a small kitchen at the back.”

“I’d
love that, thank you. By heck! What a lovely shop you have. It’s like Aladdin’s
cave. My Dorothy would have loved this.” His smile faltered. “It’s Dorothy that
I want to talk to you about, amongst other things.”

Grace
locked the door and led Derek through to the kitchen. Pearl and Abbie stood up
and moved to one side.

Abbie
nudged Pearl and said, “That’s my dad.”

Pearl
looked Derek up and down. “I like him, he’s got a kind face and a twinkle in
his eyes.” She looked him up and down again and added, “I hope he wasn’t the
one that mowed you down.”

Abbie
took a step away from Pearl.

Once
Derek was settled at the table with a cup of tea, Grace began to apologise for
upsetting him when she came round with the book.

Derek
held his hand up. “Don’t you apologise. It’s me that needs to do that. Well,
say sorry on behalf of my daughter and that boyfriend of hers.” He tutted and
shook his head. “No manners at all! I didn’t raise our Julianne like that. It’s
that ... no, I mustn’t gossip.”

Pearl
moved closer to Derek and said, “You gossip, we like a good gossip round here.”

“Do
you have to stand so close to Dad!” Abbie admonished. “You’ll be sitting on his
knee next.”

Pearl
considered the matter. “He’s got nice knees, good legs for a man his age.”

Grace
ignored the ghosts as they began to argue amongst themselves.

Derek
went on, “You seemed genuine to me when you came round with Abbie’s book.
Carlos said you were trying to trick me, to get some information about his
company. I told him that you never mentioned his company. He told me to have
nothing to do with you again.” Derek took a sip of his tea. Grace jumped as he
banged his fist on the table. “No one tells me what to do! He might give our
Julianne orders, but not me! I can make my own decisions. I don’t know what
sort of a company they’re running but it doesn’t seem aboveboard to me.”

“Please
don’t get upset,” Grace hesitated. Could she tell Derek the truth? Would he
understand?

Pearl
placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder. Grace felt the familiar warmth that occurred
whenever Pearl touched her. Pearl said, “I know what you’re thinking. He’s not
ready for the truth, not yet, and not from you. Wait, he’s got something else
to say.”

Derek
gave her a small smile and said, “I’ve got a favour to ask you, a big favour.
Say no if you want to! I’ll understand.”

“Go
on,” Grace said. Abbie moved closer to her dad.

Derek
cleared his throat and smiled again at Grace. “This is going to sound
ridiculous, but would you come with me to see Dorothy? Would you show her that
book? Please. She hasn’t spoken now for weeks, just keeps humming away to
herself. She might say something if she sees that book, and if she sees you.”

“Why
me?” Grace asked.

“Would
you mind if I left that explanation for later? You might not come if I tell you
now. Oh! I sound like some sort of conman, don’t I? Trying to lure you away to
goodness knows where! I wouldn’t be very good at luring you away, we’d have to
get the bus and you could jump off at any time.”

Derek
looked hopefully at her. Abbie had the same hopeful look on her face. Pearl
said, “You have to go, I feel that Dorothy knows something about Abbie’s
death.”

Of
course she was going to go. Grace said, “We don’t need to get the bus, I’ve got
a car. When do you want to go?”

Derek
looked at his watch. “Now? If that’s okay?”

“Now
is perfect. Just give me a minute to lock the shop properly.”

Five
minutes later, Derek was chatting happily away to Grace as they drove along.
“What a lovely car,” he said. “My Abbie would have loved a car like this.
You’re a good driver.”

Grace
met Abbie’s look in the rear-view mirror. “It’s only a recent thing, me driving
again. Tell me more about Abbie.”

Derek
chatted for the rest of the journey. Grace could see a pink glow radiating
round Abbie as she listened. It wasn’t only bad things you heard about yourself
when you were dead.

They
pulled into the car park at the residential home. Derek became serious. “She
might not say anything. She’s taken to staring out of the window and not
registering when she has visitors.”

“That’s
okay. You still haven’t told me why she’d like to see me.”

“I’ll
explain when we see Dorothy. Come on.”

They
entered the residential home. Derek went to speak to someone at the main desk.

 
Abbie nodded approvingly. “I like this
place. Everyone looks happy, even those that look half-dead. Grace, can you see
that white line around some of them? What does that mean?”

Grace
had an idea as to what it was, but she couldn’t explain that to Abbie now.

Abbie
pointed at an elderly lady who was half-asleep in a wheelchair. A young soldier
ghost sat at her side, looking lovingly at her face. Abbie said, “Look at them!
Do you think they used to be friends? She’s got a white line round her too.”

Grace
gave her a brief nod. From the look on the soldier’s face, they were more than
friends.

“This
way!” Derek called out cheerfully. He waved to several people as he walked down
a corridor and into a big room. Inside the room there was a murmur of voices,
and the occasional laugh, as the residents went about their daily activities.
Grace smiled, there was a lovely atmosphere in this room.

She
followed Derek over to a large bay window. Abbie fluttered at her side and said
happily, “I can’t wait to see Mum!”

Derek
stopped beside a frail-looking woman. Her hair was white and she seemed to have
shrunk into herself. The woman was humming quietly and gazing out of the
window.

Abbie
let out an anguished cry. “No! That’s not Mum! That can’t be Mum! He’s got the
wrong woman!”

Derek
bent down in front of the woman and gently took her hands. In a tender voice he
said, “Dorothy, I’ve brought someone to see you. A young woman. Her name is
Grace. Dorothy, can you hear me? I said her name is Grace.”

Grace
frowned. Why was her name so important?

She
soon found out.