Lost And Found: A Cozy Ghost Mystery (Storage Ghost Mysteries Book 2) (2 page)

Chapter 4

They
were soon shoved out of the way by the other buyers.

Grace
turned around to see who had insulted them. A big bear of a man looked down at
them.

“Big
Bob!” Frankie called out. He grabbed the man’s hand and shook it vigorously.

Grace
smiled up at the man, it was lovely to see a friendly face, especially from someone
who knew her father and had thought highly of him.

Should
she shake his hand too? Look professional?
Big Bob had other ideas. He grabbed her in a bear hug, a big, warm bear hug.
For a moment Grace melted into the hug. Oh, it would be great to have someone
take care of her, to sort out her problems.

Big
Bob released her and said, “You’re looking well, Grace, how are you?”

“I’m
feeling better,” Grace said truthfully. “How are you?”

“Fine,
I need to have a look at this locker, I’ll be right back.”

He
turned away from them.

“Why
are you looking at me like that?” Grace asked her brother.

Frankie
grinned, “You fancy him.”

“I
do not! He’s much older than me, don’t be silly,” Grace retorted.

Frankie
smirked. “He definitely likes you, can’t you flirt with him? He’s got a good
business going with these storage lockers, he knows a lot about them. He could
be our back up plan if we lose the shop.”

Grace’s
mouth dropped open.

Frankie
went on. “Although, it might be better if you flirted with Sylvester Sylver, he
could give us insider tips, let us know where the best lockers are.”

“What?
Are you serious? Do you really want me to...to...prostitute myself !”

Frankie
tutted. “Prostitute?” He looked Grace up and down. “You could never be a
prostitute. I’m just asking you to be friendly, that’s all.”

Grace’s
hands curled into fists. Where should she hit him? His face? His arm?

Big
Bob returned. He nodded at the locker. “Rubbish, load of tat, not worth
anything. Frankie, I know you want to do this on your own but would you like my
help as we walk around? I could give you a sign to let you know when a good
locker comes up.”

Frankie
stuck his chin out defiantly.

Oh!
He was going to get such a wallop if he said no! Grace’s fists tightened.

Frankie
caught her look and jumped a little. He recognised the rage in her face. He
turned to Big Bob and said, “That would be great, thanks.”

Grace
slowly let her breath out, she took slow deep breaths until her anger
dissolved. She concentrated on what Big Bob was saying.

“If
I see a locker that’s worth bidding on I’ll lift my thumb, like this,” he said.
His hands were at his side, he moved his thumb slightly upwards. “Got it?”

Frankie
nodded seriously. “Got it.”

“And
if I think you should stop bidding, I’ll put my hands in my pocket, like this.
Got it?”

“Got
it. I think, can you show me again?” Frankie asked.

Grace’s
eyebrows raised and she cast an exasperated glance towards the sky.

When
the secret system had been fully absorbed Big Bob told them to watch the other
bidders as they began to bid on the underwear locker. “Some of them have tell
signs, things they do when they’re excited.”

Grace
took a step back and watched the crowd as the bidding commenced. Big Bob was
right, some people scratched their noses, some rubbed the back of their necks
and one man even did a little jig.

I
think I’m getting the hang of this, she decided.

The
underwear locker was sold for an amazing £500.

Frankie
gave a low whistle. “There’s money in knickers. Let’s move on to the next
locker, I hope it’s a better one.”

Grace
followed the crowd to the next locker. The door was lifted up to reveal the
treasures within.

She
heard Frankie gasp. “The first good locker of the day.”

Grace
nodded but didn’t say anything.

She
had just seen her first ghost of the day.

Chapter 5

Grace
had realised that she could see ghosts soon after the car accident that had killed
her mum and dad. At first she saw wisps of figures, like shadows, in front of
her. As she focused her gaze on them the figures became stronger and she could
see actual people.

She
had spoken to her first locker ghost the previous week, a teenage boy called
Jacob. He had led her to his collection of valuable coins. He had also
delivered a message from her father; that she was right about him not being
drunk at the time of the accident, and that she would find out exactly what had
happened to him through buying storage lockers.

Grace
had assumed that if she spoke to more storage locker ghosts, and help them as
she had with Jacob, then her dad could pass on more messages.

Grace
focused on the ghostly figure in the locker. The ghost had stepped forward,
apparently from the locker behind. He had shoulder length wavy hair and was
wearing a long coat with a big collar. The man seemed to be counting as he
stepped forward, towards the unknowing crowd. Grace shuddered when she
recognised what he was holding aloft. A duelling pistol.

The
man stopped and raised his arm, he seemed to look straight at her.

An
explosion made her jump, she saw smoke coming from the pistol. The man had a
cold, satisfied look in his eyes.

Grace
recovered her posture, she couldn’t take her eyes off the ghost. Who had he
shot all those years ago? And why? He looked as if he was from about 200 years
ago. Grace knew from her history studies that men in the Georgian era defended
their honour by duels. She’d love to step forward and talk to him.

The
ghost disappeared. Then he reappeared at the back of the wall again and repeated
his previous performance . Even though she knew he was going to shoot, Grace
still jumped when he did so.

Frankie
grabbed her elbow and said, “I think we might win this one, it’s just between us
and that weird-looking woman over there.”

Grace
blinked. Had Frankie been bidding? Had she missed it all? She’d been mesmerised
by the duelling man.

Frankie
called out, “Two fifty!”

“Two
fifty it is,” Sylvester Sylver repeated. He searched the crowd in front of him.
“Anyone give me two seventy five? Anyone? Come on, folks, there’s treasure in
those bags. Two seventy five? Last call. Going...going...gone! Two fifty to
young Frankie!”

Frankie
leapt for joy, his hand shot up in the air. Grace didn’t know if that was
because he’d won the bid or because Sylvester had called him ‘young Frankie’.

Frankie
pulled something out of his pocket and smiled at Grace. “I’ve brought some
padlocks to secure our unit. That’s what the professionals do.”

He
positively swaggered as he moved towards the locker. Looking like a cowboy in
an old Western, Frankie secured the locker and swayed back to Grace.

She
folded her arms. “Stop walking like that, you look silly.”

He
raised his hand in a pistol shape and pretended to shoot a bullet. “One down,
more to go.”

“What
was in that locker anyway?” Grace asked.

Frankie
shrugged. “Some bags, a few boxes. Big Bob spotted things we could put in the
shop.”

“Antiques?”
Grace asked hopefully.

Frankie
slowly shook his head. “We’re not going to find many antiques, we’ll have to
diversify into household goods. Sorry.”

Grace
touched his arm. “It doesn’t matter, you do what you have to do.”

“I
feel like I’m letting Mum and Dad down. They took years to build the shop up.”

Grace
pressed her lips together and nodded. She finally said something that she
hadn’t fully accepted yet. “Frankie, they’re gone.”

Frankie
nodded and said, “I know.” His eyes sparkled slightly, he gave her a bright
smile and said, “Follow me, little lady, let’s mosey on down to the next
locker.”

He
swaggered away like a drunken cowboy. Grace laughed and followed him. She
wondered if the duelling ghost would attach himself to the locker that Frankie
had just bought. Jacob, the ghost she had spoken to the previous week, had been
attached to the furniture in their first locker. She would have to wait until
they took their items away, although the ghost did seem to be walking through
from the locker behind.

Big
Bob was waiting for them at the next locker. “I’ve had a look at this one,
there’s some old cameras and knick-knacks that people might buy when they’re on
holiday. It would be great for you, fill up your shelves nicely.” Big Bob
nodded towards the man who Grace had seen jigging about early. “Watch out for
Sid, he’s got a market stall, he’ll be after this one. Don’t bid above £450.
Okay?”

Frankie
gave an obedient nod.

The
bidding began. Big Bob was right, Sid was interested. His feet were doing a
merry dance as the bidding got higher.

Grace
was impressed with how seriously Frankie was bidding, he was almost offhand
when he called his bid out.

Grace
hadn’t had a look in the locker so she moved forward. There were lots of
brightly coloured items sticking out of bags. Some Hawaiian dolls and leis, a
few stuffed donkeys, models of the Eiffel Tower and  The Statue of Liberty. She
nodded approvingly, someone had been around the world. She liked the items that
had been collected, some would call it touristy trash, but she liked it.

Then
she saw him.

The
ghost at the back of the locker. He was waving his arms madly through the bags,
his hands passing right through them.

He
looked about sixty, wisps of hair stuck up on his partially-bald head.

He
was muttering something. Grace cocked her head to one side and took a step
closer, not too close though, she didn’t want to be thrown out by Sylvester
Sylver.

The
man scratched his head. “Where is it? I know it’s here! Where? Where? Where?
Arghh!”

He
threw his hands in the air.

Then
he noticed Grace looking at him. He pointed. “You! Girl! You there, you can see
me, can’t you?”

Grace
nodded, she didn’t dare ignore him, he sounded like her old head teacher.

“Get
in here and help me find it!”

Grace
whispered, “Find what?”

“The...the...,”
the man stuttered. He suddenly slumped to the ground as if he’d been deflated.
He looked up at Grace, and in a quivering voice, he said, “I don’t know. That’s
the problem. I have to find something but I don’t know what it is. Will you
help me, please?”

The
man looked wretched and heart-broken. There was only one thing she could say.

“Yes,”
she told him.

The
man sagged even more and said, “Thank you. Oh, thank you.”

Grace
suddenly became aware of Sylvester’s voice, “I have four seventy five from Sid,
anyone going to give me five hundred? Come on, folks, those cameras look
valuable to me.”

Grace
looked at Frankie, his arms were folded and he was chatting to Big Bob. Big
Bob’s hands were firmly in his pockets so Grace assumed they had reached their
limit.

Sylvester
cut through her thoughts. “Four seventy five is the bid. Going ... going...”

“£600!”
Grace called out.

Pairs
of eyes swivelled towards her, including confused ones belonging to Big Bob and
Frankie.

Sylvester
beamed at her. “You obviously know quality items when you see them, Grace.
Anyone for six hundred and twenty five? No? Going...going...gone! To the
beautiful young lady on my right!”

Frankie
was at her side in a second. “Grace, what have you done?”

Grace
looked back into the storage unit. The man had gone.

She
swallowed a feeling of panic. Had he really been there? Or had she imagined him
there?

What
had she done? 

Chapter 6

Grace
tried to justify her actions on the drive back to the shop.

“I
thought I saw something in the back, it looked as if it was worth something,”
she gabbled on. “There could be something in those camera bags, or the cameras
themselves might be worth a bit.”

They
stopped at a red light. Frankie turned to look at her. “To be fair, Grace, the
money from the coins is half yours, perhaps more yours than mine. I don’t think
I would have found them hidden in that mattress.”

Grace
wasn’t going to tell Frankie that a friendly ghost had told her where the coins
were. She was never going to tell him that she could see ghosts, he’d have her
straight down to the hospital claiming that she was having another breakdown.

“I’m
not bothered about you bidding, and going over our set limit,” Frankie
continued. “Do you know why?”

She
shook her head.

He
jerked a thumb over his shoulder and said, “We’ve got a van full of stock.
Stock that’s going to make us some money, I don’t know how much and to be
honest, I don’t care. We’ve made a start and that’s all that matters.”

The
light turned to green and Frankie sped off.

Grace
looked out of the window. He was so determined to make a go of it, she had to
support him. All thoughts of their debts and the evil Eddie Tominski had to be
forced from her mind.

They
unpacked their goods straight in to the shop. Frankie placed the holiday
souvenirs in the window. It made it look colourful, and, Grace hoped, enticing.
Who could resist a dancing leprechaun?

The
shop shelves were soon filled with dishes, cups, ornaments, kettles, toasters -
an assortment of household goods.

“What
shall we do with this?” Grace said. She held up a big tea pot that had been in
the shop forever. No one had ever shown any interest in it.

“Put
it near the front, under a light. Maybe someone will take a shine to it as they
walk in.”

Frankie’s
phone beeped. Grace looked over at him, concern etched on her face. “Is that
Eddie Tominski? Don’t lie, Frankie, tell me if it is.”

He
shook his head. “Nope, it’s from Big Bob. He wants me to go around to his shop and
look at some website designers on the net. He said it would help us to have an
online presence. Whatever that is. He’s going to show me how to get valuations
before I place things for sale online.”

Grace
picked up the old cameras and said, “How much should we charge for these?”

“Don’t
know. Stick them under the counter, I’ll look at them later. I think there’s
some camera cases to go with them, stick them under too. You don’t mind if I
go, do you?”

Grace
gave him a smile. “No, we’re nearly finished here. I’ll give everything a dust
before I go home.”

“You
can come with me if you want,” Frankie said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Give you chance to get to know Big Bob better.”

Grace
was temped to throw a Venetian fan at him but decided the fan might be worth
something. She settled for throwing him a disgusted look. “Stop that right now,
I’m not interested in Big Bob, or Sylvester Sylver, or anyone. Drop the latch
on your way out, thanks.”

She
turned back to the shelves. She heard Frankie chuckling as he left the shop.

Then
she heard another sort of chuckle. It wasn’t Frankie.

Grace
spun around and came face to face with the ghost of the older man from the
storage unit, the one that was looking for something.

The
man spoke. “Sibling fights, I remember that quite well. I used to argue with my
sister all the time, I knew exactly which buttons to press.”

Grace
looked closer at the man. He had a world-worn face, as her dad used to say. He
looked as if he could be sixty, but easily older or younger. His face was lined
but his eyes looked young. He was wearing casual trousers and a shirt, the kind
that a traveller might wear.

He
held his hand out. “We haven’t formally introduced ourselves. I’m Clive, Clive
Arthur.”

“I’m
Grace Abrahams,” Grace said and extended her hand.

She
shivered as Clive passed his hand over hers. A chuckle came from him again.
“I’ll wager that felt peculiar, seeing as I’m no longer alive.”

“You
know? That you’re dead?” Grace said. She lowered her hand and put it slightly
behind her. She wiggled her fingers discreetly to get some warmth back.

Clive
nodded. “Yes, I know that I’m a ghost. I’ve been stuck in that wretched storage
facility for a long time, although it feels like I was alive just yesterday.”

“Do
you know how you died?” Grace asked. “Sorry! That was rude of me.”

Clive
waved his hand. “Not rude at all. I’d ask the same thing if I saw a ghost. All
I can remember is sitting at a table with my friends in Paris. We were drinking
the most delightful red and then...then I was in that dismal hole where you
found me.”

Grace
had many more questions to ask. Clive must have read her mind because he
abruptly announced, “We have to start looking! There’s no time to waste!”

Grace
said, “Have you remembered what you’ve lost now?”

“No
idea, Grace. We could be here all night! Or all eternity!”

Clive
let out a deep bellow of a laugh.

Grace
didn’t join in.