The Ghost Detective Books 1-3 Special Boxed Edition: Three Fun Cozy Mysteries With Bonus Holiday Story (The Ghost Detective Collection)

by Jane Hinchey

  “Right!” Tugging on the hem of my T-shirt, I pulled myself together and headed toward my Chrysler, tossing my bag onto the passenger seat. Ben seated himself on top of it. “Seriously?” I asked. “You couldn’t just—”

  “What? Sit in the back seat because your bag is here?” He cut in, his incredulous response told me what he thought of that idea. “Since when do you cart your handbag around with you, anyway?” He muttered, trying to push my bag to the floor with no success.

  “Since now.” Thankfully, my car started on the first try and I pulled out. It couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds later when red and blue flashing lights lit up my rearview mirror. “What the hell?” Flipping on my indicator, I pulled over, watching as the patrol car followed.

  “It’s Mills.” Ben said ominously. Winding down my window, I waited for Mills to reach me. “Something wrong, Officer?”

  “License and registration.”

  Flipping open the glove compartment, I handed them over, watched while Mills glanced at them, then handed them back.

  “Going to have to write you up for talking on your cell while driving.” He drawled, one hand resting on his gun.

  “What? I wasn’t talking on my phone.” I protested.

  “I know what I saw.”

  “Uh, no you don’t.” I argued. “If I was talking on my phone, where is it?” I waved a hand in front of me, indicating my dash and empty cup holders where I normally stashed my phone when driving.

  “You could have put it away when you saw me.”

  “But I didn’t.” This was bull hockey, and we both knew it.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle ma'am.”

  “What! Why?” I protested. This was ridiculous.

  “Do what he says, Audrey.” Ben warned. “He’s using his power against you and if you resist? Well, let’s not give him a reason to shoot you, eh?” He was right. Mills' hand was resting on his revolver, fingers curled around the grip as if he’d like nothing more than to whip that bad boy out and put a bullet in me.

  “Out of the car!” Mills suddenly shouted, “now!”

  “Okay, okay,” I opened the door and climbed out. Mills stepped forward, hand still on his gun, but he hadn’t drawn it, and for that I was grateful. “Turn around, hands on the roof.” I obeyed, although it killed me to do so. “Spread your legs.” A booted foot kicked my ankle to hurry me along. The pat down that followed lasted way too long, with Mills pudgy fingers lingering in places they had no business lingering. I felt the heat in my cheeks but bit my tongue. I knew what he was doing, humiliating me like this. Ben was right, it was all a power play but despite everything, Mills was a police officer and I was a civilian and I had to obey his instructions. This was no routine traffic stop. This was harassment, pure and simple.

  12

  After my encounter with Mills, I was one hundred dollars poorer and one hundred percent pissed off. Ben told me I could appeal the charge, but really? What was the point, who would believe me over an officer of the law? This was the shit Ben had to deal with when he’d been a police officer, and my anger and frustration at his situation returned tenfold. Rather than return to Ben’s, I swung back around to Jacob Henry’s apartment. I needed to keep my mind off Officer Ian Mills and his bogus charge.

  Ben saved me a trip up three flights of stairs by shooting ahead and doing a reconnaissance mission. “Nope still not home.” He informed me on his return.

  “Darn it.” I tapped the steering wheel. “I wonder where he is?” The rumbling of my stomach interrupted my thought processes, and Ben’s guffaw confirmed just how loud the rumble was. “Whoa, Fitz,” he laughed, “better feed the beast.”

  Figuring food would probably help to appease my foul mood, I decided lunch at the Seaview Cafe was in order. Plus, I had an ulterior motive. Ben could go check in with Myra while I ate. Two birds, one stone. Ben was happy to oblige, and I figured he enjoyed having a ghostly pal—I was hoping between the two of them they could come up with an explanation why Myra can’t leave the store. Not that it was important, I was merely curious. I waited until he’d disappeared through the front door of Nether & Void before making my way toward the cafe a few doors down. Standing inside, I paused while my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, then glanced around. The place was bigger than I thought, with over two dozen tables scattered throughout. It was lunchtime, and the place was busy, almost every table occupied, when I spotted a familiar face.

  “Hey, Audrey!” Ashley Baker stood and waved me over. “Come join us, there’s room at our table.”

  I waved back and began weaving my way through the tables while checking out Ashley’s dining companion. He was an older guy with sunglasses perched atop his bald head, gray mustache, solid build. He was wearing a black leather jacket, and I wondered if he wasn’t hot since it was a balmy eighty degrees out.

  “Audrey, this is Lee Noble, Myra’s boyfriend. Lee, this is the PI I hired, Audrey Fitzgerald,” Ashley said. Lee stood and shook my hand, his massive paw crushing mine in a powerful grip. Across his knuckles, faded black tattoos. A diamond, club, heart, and spade. I figured Lee Noble was into gambling. Why else would you have a card deck tattooed on your fingers?

  “Pleased to meet ya.” His smile was polite and entirely fake. I matched it with one of my own, while surreptitiously flexing my bruised hand behind my back.

  “Hi. Thanks for letting me join you. I had no idea this place was so busy.” I slid into the seat next to Ashley. She nodded. “Yep, this place is always pumping at lunchtime.” Her smile dimmed. “Myra and I used to like to people watch, make up stories about them to entertain ourselves.”

  Which reminded me. “I’m sorry for your loss.” I said to Lee. He rolled one shoulder, the leather creaking. “Thanks.” I waited for more, but it appeared Lee would not be forthcoming.

  “So.” I picked up the menu, knocking over the salt shaker in the process. “You two met through Myra?”

  “Actually,” Ashley said, leaning forward and righting the shaker, “I sort of already knew Lee. Knew of him anyway.”

  “Oh?” Hmmm. The club sandwich looked good. But then so did the burger. My stomach growled again, thankfully the noise of the cafe masked it.

  “My sister’s boyfriend.” Ashley continued.

  “Ash.” Lee grumbled.

  I glanced up at the warning in his voice, curious why he didn’t want Ashley telling me about the connection between her sister’s boyfriend and him. I made a mental note to check it out. Then frowned. I’d been making a lot of mental notes lately, I was going to need a Rolodex to keep them all organized.

  “What?” Tossing her dreadlocks over one shoulder, she eyed him defiantly. “It’s not a secret.”

  “You really want her knowing about Skye?”

  I’d been about to ask who Skye was when a waitress appeared at our table. “You folks ready to order?” She asked, chewing gum. Crap, I hadn’t decided yet, but considering how busy this place was, I’d better choose quickly. Who knows how long it would be before the waitress came back around again.

  “I’ll have the pear, pomegranate and roasted butternut squash salad with maple sesame vinaigrette.” Ashley ordered. “And a green tea.” The waitress swiped through the screen on her iPad and pressed a bunch of buttons, sending Ashley’s order straight to the kitchen.

  “And you, sir?” The waitress asked Lee. But Lee was shaking his head. He stood, straightening his jacket, and the waft of stale cigarette smoke and body odor had me wrinkling my nose in distaste. “Change of plans, Ash, sorry. Just remembered there’s somewhere else I need to be.” And with that, he walked away. Ashley watched him go with her mouth hanging open.

  “Was it something I said?” I asked. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she turned to me. “Doubtful. He’s shook up over Myra.” I could tell she didn’t entirely buy it, that his behavior was unusual, but also that she was covering for her rather rude friend.

  “Do you want me to come b
ack?” The waitress reminded us she was waiting to take my order. Absolutely not, I was starving. “I’ll take the burger with extra fries, and a coke.” I ordered.

  After she’d gone I turned to Ashley, who was chewing a nail. “Sorry if I intruded.” I got the distinct impression that Lee had left because of me, and I had to say I wasn’t entirely sorry. He was what I’d call a bruiser. A big tough guy with tattoos on his knuckles and an overall demeanor that told me he solved his problems with his fists and not his voice.

  “I know he doesn’t look it, but inside, he’s really hurting. Lee is one of those guys who doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve.” She sighed, playing with the end of a dreadlock. “It’s just so sad, you know? He’d been about to propose to Myra. She was all keyed up and excited, telling me things were finally going right and they had big plans. And while he is acting...” she cast her eyes to the ceiling as if the words she was searching for were printed there. “Distant. Like her death hasn’t affected him that much, it really has. On the inside he’s devastated that the love of his life, the woman he wanted to marry, has been violently murdered.”

  Interesting. I did not get that vibe from him at all. “He told you he was going to propose?”

  She snorted. “No. We don’t actually talk all that much. I just hear what Myra tells me.”

  “And she told you she thought he would propose?”

  “Welllllll,” Ashley hesitated. “Not exactly. I assumed. Because she was acting all excited and happy. She had this real energy about her.”

  And Ashley, being the romantic she is, assumed that because Myra was happy, it was because of Lee. I’d have to ask Myra about it myself, I’d drop in to the shop after lunch.

  “You two have lunch together frequently?” I asked.

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Oh! Then I really did scare him away.” I joked. But it wasn’t a joke, not really. Lee Noble had left because of me. Why? I wasn’t law enforcement, but did he see me as a threat? And if so, why? Because he was guilty of his girlfriend's murder? “So how do you know him?” Time to find out more about the man who could potentially be a murderer. I was so glad I’d decided to have lunch here today.

  “He knew my sister’s boyfriend, Rhys.” She fiddled with the salt shaker, spinning it around in her fingers. “I may as well tell you because you will probably find out anyway,” she said, “my sister, Skye, is in jail for drug smuggling.”

  I blinked. Twice. I hadn’t seen that coming, not at all. Pulling myself together, I placed my hand over Ashley’s to keep the salt shaker upright. “I’m sorry to hear that.” I offered. “That can’t be easy.”

  “She says she’s innocent.” Ashley’s blue eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. “And I believe her.”

  “So... what? You think she was set up?”

  “I think she was tricked.” Ashley confirmed. “By Rhys. Her boyfriend.”

  “The same boyfriend who knows Lee?” My eyebrows shot into my hairline. Was Ashley accusing Lee of having links to organized crime? Because that’s where my mind went.

  She nodded. “Rhys Parker was the worst thing that ever happened to Skye.”

  “Tell me what happened.” I leaned my chin on my hand and waited with bated breath.

  “Rhys told her they’d won a vacation to Nassau, in the Bahamas. Seven days of sun, sand, and fun. Skye was so excited, she’d never traveled before and to go to the Caribbean was like a dream come true. But when they arrived, they searched her bags at customs and they found heroin hidden in the lining of her suitcase. It wasn’t hers.” Ashley quickly said. “Skye was a party girl, yes, but it was booze and maybe some marijuana, nothing heavier and she’d never sell drugs. Never.”

  “And you think Rhys hid the drugs in her bag?” I asked.

  “Who else? He lied about winning the trip. He’d told her it was through some radio show, he’d been a lucky caller, but it turns out it was a total fabrication. That came out in court. But the magistrate was very...” she hesitated, searching for words. “He was like, the drugs were in her bags, she’s responsible for her own bags, therefore she’s responsible for the drugs. Full stop. Sentenced her to twenty years in jail.”

  “So Rhys got away, scot free?” I wish I could say it was a surprise, but it really wasn’t. How many times did you hear on the news that someone had unwittingly been a drug mule? Someone they thought they could trust had hidden drugs in their belongings without their knowledge. But usually the courts knew that, could see the truth. Why then did Skye end up in jail if it was Rhys who was responsible? Was Skye another victim of a corrupt police force, bending the evidence to suit their own needs?

  Ashley heaved a breath. “Yep. I don’t know how he did it. The only fingerprints on Skye’s suitcase were hers. They even found them inside the lining.”

  Oooooh. I studied Ashley intently. Her sister’s fingerprints were inside the lining of the suitcase, which was probably all the evidence the police needed to charge her.

  “I hate to ask, but—” I paused, then blurted, “is there any way that Skye did this?”

  “No!” Ashley was vehement. “Because none of her prints were on the drugs. The drugs were totally wiped clean. Why would you do that and not wipe down the inside of the case? But this is where it gets weird, because remember how I said that Rhys’ prints weren’t on the suitcase at all? Skye said he’d lifted her case into a cab and helped her with it at the airport. So he’d touched it. It should have had his prints on it.”

  “What do you think happened?”

  “I think Rhys had lifted Skye’s prints somehow and planted them inside the lining of the suitcase at the same time he stashed the drugs—all without her knowledge. But the one thing that’s got me puzzled is how he wiped off his prints once they’d arrived at the airport. I mean, surely Skye would have noticed if he’d whipped out a rag and began wiping down the suitcase handle, right?”

  “You’d think so, yes. So you suspect someone else was involved? Like a baggage handler? They’d have access.”

  Ashley was nodding, her head bopping up and down so fast her dreads flew. “Exactly. They wear gloves anyway, so a little vigorous attention to that particular suitcase handle would have removed all prints, then Skye grabbed it off the carousel at Nassau, so the only prints were hers.”

  Plausible. “And where does Lee come into all of this?”

  “Well.” She flipped her dreadlocks over her shoulder and leaned toward me. “Skye was still living in Portland. Oregon Portland, not Maine Portland—that’s where I’m from, only I decided to get out. She stayed. Anyway, she met Rhys at a bar one night and they hooked up. Rhys was working at the docks at the time, and his supervisor was Lee Noble. I remember because it was Lee who picked Rhys up from the airport when he flew back from the Bahamas after the trial.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “Just over five years. I was living in Seattle at the time.”

  I drummed my fingers on the table, mind whirling. “Portland Oregon is a long way from Firefly Bay.” I said, more to myself than to her. “Clear across the country.”

  “True. I slowly made my way from the West Coast to East. Landed in Firefly Bay, oh, it’d be about two years ago now. I fell in love with the place and decided I’d set down some roots at long last.”

  “And you recognized Lee?” What were the chances that a man you’d seen in passing in Portland turned up in Firefly Bay?

  But Ashley was shaking her head. “Not really. I only ever saw a picture of Lee on tv. I hadn’t met him in real life. Not until he started dating Myra, and then only once or twice. I only figured out it was him when Myra told me in passing that he’d lived in Portland a few years ago. That’s when I asked him if he knew Rhys. Since Lee works at the docks here, I assumed he’d worked at the docks in Portland, that maybe they’d crossed paths. He told me he’d been his supervisor, said he’d picked him up from the airport that day because his family didn’t want the media scrutiny. He was doing him a fav
or, nothing more.”

  “And you believe that?” To be honest, I was skeptical.

  Ashley laughed. “Once you get to know him, Lee is an absolute teddy bear. He looks like a thug, but on the inside he’s a big softy. Only don’t tell him I said that.”

  Our food arrived and as I sunk my teeth into my burger, I pondered what Ashley had told me about Lee. Her view that he was a gentle giant did not ring true with the vibe I got from him, and I added yet another mental note to ask Galloway about not only Lee Noble, but Skye Baker’s case.

  13

  Having a ghost suddenly appear by your side in the middle of lunch was something I was not prepared for. “Bad news.” Ben said, taking the seat Lee had vacated. I sucked in a startled breath and immediately choked on my mouthful of burger. Ben gave me a couple of hearty thumps on the back as I coughed until my eyes were streaming, but his hand passed right through me, freezing my lungs, which didn’t help at all.

  “Oh, my!” Ashley grabbed my arm, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Urghhh.” I choked, finally catching my breath. With a shaky hand, I reached for my coke and took a sip, the bubbles burning. “Went down the wrong hole.” I rasped, wiping my fingers beneath my eyes.

  “I hate it when that happens.” Ashley sympathized, then turned her attention to where Ben was sitting. “There’s a strange energy here.” She was looking right at him, and I blinked in shock. Could she see him?

  “Can she see me?” Ben clearly had the same thought.

  “Like an astral glow.” She continued, then ran a palm along her arm. “I have goosebumps.” She did in fact have goosebumps along her arms, and the fine hairs were standing on end. Seems she couldn’t see Ben, but she could certainly sense him.

  “Ummm.” I didn’t know what to say.

  “This energy is really attached to you, Audrey.” Ashley’s blue eyes were deadly serious. “There’s a definite connection. Audrey? Are you being haunted?”