“That’s all well and good, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here. On my property. Spying on me.”
“We weren’t spying,” I quickly said. “We were just checking the place out. Plus, I was following Bart. He’s here.”
The billionaire looked at me like I had lost my mind.
“We already established that I don’t buy your little story.”
The handsome man from the conference, who had taken out a mini iPad as soon as we gave our names, whispered something into the billionaire’s ear now.
“It turns out you were both telling the truth,” the billionaire said. “Well, as far as who you claim to be.”
It was then that Bart and then Rebecca entered through the closed door, going through it like it was nothing.
“Stop! You have to come with us!” Rebecca was yelling after Bart, but Bart was having none of it.
“What’s so amusing?” The billionaire asked me when he saw the expression on my face.
“Bart Samuel is here,” I simply said.
Even though he said he didn’t believe me, Warwick Crane immediately stood up to attention, and so did all of his men.
Bart tried desperately to throw anything he could from the table but to no avail, though there was no shortage of anger fueling his actions.
“You told me it was just a simple job!” He yelled at the billionaire. “And now I’m dead!”
“He doesn’t seem very happy with you, Mr. Crane,” I said.
Mr. Crane looked worried for the first time since he’d come into the office. “And why is that?”
“He says that you told him this was going to be a simple job. He blames you for his death.”
“Well…I couldn’t have known…this seemed like such a quiet town. But I assure you I wasn’t lying at the conference. I will do everything in my power to catch the person or persons responsible.”
“A little too late now, don’t you think, old man?” Bart spat in his direction.
I relayed the message to the billionaire.
Warwick Crane looked at his surroundings. Just as Bart put his ghostly hands around the billionaire’s throat, he pushed the chair back.
Mr. Crane touched his throat in surprise. “I felt a chill. What was that?”
“It was Bart Samuel trying to choke the life out of you,” I said.
“That can’t be. That’s not possible…”
“Believe it, mister,” I said and got up to go. “I presume Kane and I are free to go?”
“I…I could get you arrested for trespassing.”
“Will you?”
The billionaire looked confused. His good-looking helper whispered something else in his ear.
“Jonah here tells me that you’re a ghost hunter of sorts. That you can actually get rid of problems of that nature.”
I nodded. “That’s the majority of my business. I take care of hauntings and the such.”
“Well, I’m offering you a job: get rid of Bart Samuel now and you won’t have to worry about money for quite a while.”
From nonbeliever to believer in the matter of a few minutes. I was impressed.
“I already tried to do that. But in order for him to move on, I have to solve his murder.”
The billionaire picked up the phone himself.
“Then I guess I have no choice but to report you for trespassing to the police,” he said.
Twelve
“Fine. Fine,” I relented. “I’ll make Bart leave you alone.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Bart asked.
“By solving your murder. Remember that?”
Bart looked away in something that resembled shame.
“She’s right, Bart,” Rebecca came to my aid. “I’ve seen her help a lot of people move on.”
Bart didn’t say anything to that. I encouraged Rebecca to go on so I wouldn’t look any crazier than I already did.
“Come with us. There’s nothing you can do about Mr. Crane now. If he’s at all responsible, then you have our permission to do whatever you like.”
That cheered up Bart. He finally seemed to relax a bit. “Fine. I guess it’s best if you two aren’t arrested while you’re working on my case.”
“Good. Thank you,” I said to him. Then I turned toward the billionaire. “You can put the phone down. I took care of Bart. But if you do something I don’t approve of, you can be sure that I’ll send him right back your way.”
The billionaire nodded furiously. “Thank you. Now get out of my house!”
Jonah and two of the guards escorted us out.
“Must be an adventure working for a guy like that,” I said to Jonah.
He smiled, revealing a set of perfect teeth that went perfectly with his immaculate suit and the rest of him. “This has definitely been one of the more interesting, that’s for sure.”
“You seemed quite cozy with that Jonah guy,” Kane said as we walked toward the gate which was wide open now, just for us.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m friendly with everyone. I can’t help it if I’m a people person.”
Even Rebecca laughed at that. Bart, on the other hand, flew up ahead of us. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for bickering.
“You’re hilarious. It’s pretty clear you’re infatuated with the guy. I bet he even drives a sports car. Who knows, maybe even a hummer.”
“I highly doubt he drives a hummer. He seems like the kind of guy that probably always drives with his boss. Always ready to answer any questions that might come up.”
“I wonder if they’re related. Maybe that’s his son?” Kane mused.
I took out my cell and was surprised that I actually had service in this part of town.
“He doesn’t have any children. Maybe he’s a nephew or maybe just a protégé,” I said.
“Either way, he’s got connections,” Kane said.
Bart was already standing by my car when we finally arrived.
“You can take the backseat with Rebecca,” I told him. “I have some questions for you.”
Bart rolled his eyes. He wasn’t happy about it but he went and sat in the backseat anyway. I still found it strange that ghosts could do that. Maybe it was a mental thing more than anything.
Once we were on the road I was ready to start my line of questioning.
“So you really don’t remember who might have killed you?” I asked as I looked on ahead.
I noticed that Kane looked uncomfortable but at least he had the self-control to keep his mouth shut.
“We already established that. Whoever it was came up behind me, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember,” I said. “And you can’t think of anyone specific who might have wanted you dead?”
“Nope. Didn’t you look into that crazy group I told you about?”
“Keep Silver Bells Green? Yeah. Rebecca said that most of them had alibis and the others alibied each other.”
“That sounds suspicious,” Bart said. “Maybe I should go and spy on them.”
“That actually sounds like a good idea,” I said.
“What does?” Kane asked. Apparently, he had had enough of listening to one side of the conversation. He also looked at me funny, like he was worried I might drive us off the road.
“First, I’m not crazy, so relax. Second, Bart is going to spy on the Keep Silver Bells Green group.”
“Before he does that, maybe he should tell us the password to his private office.”
“You have a private office?” I asked Bart.
“Yeah. We rented a building in town. I can tell you where everything is.”
“He says he’ll help us,” I said to Kane. “I’m driving there right now.”
“I’ve been there a couple of times. I can tell you where to go.”
And that’s exactly what we did. When we arrived at the office I found out that it wasn’t too far from my grandma’s bakery. There was a doctor’s office close by and I held my head down, hoping not to
run into Sarah.
Once we were at the front door we were greeted not by a lock but by a keypad.
“The moment of truth is here,” Kane said in an ominous voice. “Will she fail or will she succeed? All rests upon this moment in time.”
I looked at him and sent invisible daggers flying in his direction. He immediately took a step back. “Chill. It was just a joke.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to Bart. “You better remember that password.”
Bart stepped forward and looked at the keypad. He put his ghostly hand on top, but then stood frozen there.
“It’s not looking good,” Rebecca whispered. “I mean, maybe he doesn’t remember? Death will make you forget a few things.”
“He’s been perfectly coherent so far.”
“What’s happening?” Kane asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Hang tight and watch the professionals do their job, okay?”
“Touché,” Kane said.
It took an excruciating couple of minutes for Bart to figure out the password.
“It’s one, two, three, five, nine, seven, four,” he finally said. “I’m pretty sure anyway. Things are a little fuzzy now.”
“And what happens if you’re wrong?”
“There might be an alarm and the cops will probably come to check it out.”
I definitely didn’t want that to happen.
Once Bart moved out of the way, I moved in. Kane was practically breathing over my shoulder.
“A little room, please? You’re in my light,” I said.
He took a few steps back but still kept an eye on the keypad. “Hurry up before someone notices us and calls the cops.”
That’s exactly the kind of kick in the butt I needed. I carefully put the number in. The light turned green and then there was a buzzing sound.
“You’ll have a couple of seconds to come in and disarm the inside alarm,” Bart informed me.
“So much security. What did you guys do here? Nuclear weapons testing?” I said after I quickly disarmed the alarm.
Thankfully, Kane was smart enough to follow my lead. Bart and Rebecca, on the other hand, could just go through the door without any problem whatsoever. Being a ghost had its advantages.
“I can’t believe that just happened! So you actually can talk to the dead?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying all along. Did you really think I would lie about something like that?”
Kane shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve seen people do all kinds of strange things in my day.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get this show on the road. We’ve got impatient spirits to think about,” I said as I looked for a light switch.
“Don’t turn any lights on,” Kane told me. “We’re doing this the old fashioned way.”
He took out a small flashlight from his pocket and turned it on. Surprisingly, it seemed to work quite well.
I took out my cell and just turned the flashlight icon on. “Welcome to the 21st century,” I said.
Kane rolled his eyes. “And what happens when your battery is drained?”
“And what happens when yours is?”
“That’s not the same. I only use this flashlight for situations like this. A cell phone you use daily for all kinds of purposes.”
“Are you two going to bicker like a bunch of old birds or are you here to solve my murder?”
Bart did not look happy to be there.
“Lead the way,” I told him. “This is your office after all.”
“How can I lead the way when I don’t even know what we’re looking for?”
“Anything out of the ordinary,” I said. “Right, Kane?”
“Huh?”
I forgot that Kane couldn’t hear what Bart was saying so I quickly filled him in.
“Oh, yeah. We should definitely see if anyone else was here after his death.”
Bart went around the office, from room to room, looking for anything out of place.
“Did you work here by yourself?” I asked him.
“No. I had a contractor here and a secretary. I’ve worked with both of them for years. They’re good people.”
“Either way, we’ll probably have to ask them a few questions. Maybe they can think of something useful.”
While Bart and Kane were looking all around the office, I zeroed in on Bart’s desk.
“What are you thinking?” Rebecca asked as she joined me. It looked like it was going to be the girls against the boys on this one. In my experience, if I may say so myself, girls usually won.
“I’m thinking that we need to look at the books. Isn’t that why most people get killed? It’s either for love or money or both. In my experience, at least.”
Rebecca looked thoughtful. “I guess that’s right. I wonder why I was killed?”
“That’s a mystery for another day. Right now we need to get rid of that guy,” I said as I pointed in Bart’s direction. Thankfully he was far enough that he couldn’t hear.
“Hey Bart,” I finally gave up after another unsuccessful attempt. “Where do you guys keep the books?”
Bart flew over. “They should be in the bottom drawer.”
I looked down and saw that there was actually a lock there.
“Is the key somewhere here by any chance?”
“I’m afraid not. I always kept the key on my person. It’s probably in the morgue or the police station now.” A blank expression glazed over his face. “Huh. It just hit me. My body is somewhere else and I’m here. Isn’t that a funny thought?”
“Believe me, it’s much better that you’re not your body,” I said. “Otherwise you’d be rotting away right now.”
“That’s some dark stuff,” Kane commented. “Are you guys trading insults or what?”
I showed Kane the drawer. “Got any ideas?”
His face lit up with a smile. He crouched down and took something out from his boot. It was a toolkit with all kinds of small implements. “I got the solution right here,” he said proudly as he showed me one of the metal implements.
“I didn’t know you were a professional cat burglar,” I said.
“No, I’m a P.I., though I can see how you would confuse the two.”
I watched as Kane worked on the lock. After a minute or so I got tired of watching and yawned. “It looks like the lock is winning.”
Kane looked up at me and gave me the stink eye. I kept my mouth shut for the time being.
After another five minutes of jimmying, the lock finally gave way and the drawer practically flew open.
Bart floated close by and told us it was the big black three-ring binder.
I lifted the thing up and almost dropped it. “This thing is heavy,” I complained.
Kane took it from my hands. “Let the man carry it.”
“We should probably get out of here,” I said.
“You think so?” Kane asked sarcastically.
I gave Kane my car keys and told him to drop that binder in the trunk, just in case.
He quickly went and did just that as I fiddled with the alarm, trying to make sure I didn’t trigger anything.
It was then that I heard a terrible sound.
It wasn’t the alarm. It was the sound of a police siren going off.
I turned around and saw a police car approach. Then I saw the man behind the wheel: Jonathan.
Thirteen
Jonathan got out of the car and took a long hard look at the scene in front of him.
“What have we here?” He said as he looked from me to Kane then back to me again. “Breaking and entering? You should know better.”
“Technically, it’s actually neither. Have you seen me break into or enter this building?”
Jonathan smiled. Not a friendly smile but the condescending kind that made it clear that he thought he was the one in the right here. It was the same smile he would have on his face after winning at bowling. I hated that smile.
“C’mon. Both of you. We’ll clear this up at the stat
ion.” Jonathan motioned for Kane and me to get into his back seat.
“Is this really necessary, officer?” Kane asked.
“I’m afraid so. I got a call about you earlier. Apparently, you tried to break into Warwick Crane’s rented residence?”
“That’s absolutely false,” I said. “He invited us because he had a ghost problem!” What? It was mostly true...
“That’s not what he’s saying.”
As if the situation couldn’t get any worse, I saw another familiar face approaching us. She had blonde hair with light brown streaks in it and she was wearing a nurse’s uniform.
“I heard the commotion,” Sarah said. “And now I see you’re arresting my cousin?”
“Hon, you need to stay out of this. This is police business,” Jonathan said calmly.
“How can I stay out of it? Why are you even arresting them?”
“I’m arresting them for trespassing. You guys can talk about it after they’re done answering some questions. Now if you’ll excuse us…”
“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said to me. “I don’t know why he’s like this.”
“I’m doing my job,” Jonathan said coolly. “If she wasn’t breaking the law, this wouldn’t be happening right now.”
Sarah ignored him as she gave me a quick hug. “Don’t worry. Gran and I will bail you out. If it comes to that.”
“Thanks. That’s much appreciated,” I said. “It’s just a minor inconvenience. I’m sure I’ll be out in no time.”
Sarah shook her head in disapproval as she passed Jonathan.
“Don’t think for a second you won’t hear about this later, mister,” she said and then made her way back to the doctor’s office.
“Burn. Looks like you’re in trouble now, boy,” Kane said and laughed.
“Will you get in the car or do I have to cuff you?” Then he looked my way. “Both of you.”
Kane and I quickly seated ourselves in the back seat. If there was one silver lining to this, it was that Jonathan didn’t see Kane putting that binder in my trunk.
The ride to the police station was quick, quiet and kind of awkward.
As soon as we were inside we were separated. Presumably to see if our stories matched up. Thankfully, Kane went first.
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