Dead and Buried: A Bridget Sway Novel (A Paranormal Ghost Cozy Mystery Series Book 4)

by Jordaina Sydney Robinson

  I sneaked over and thumbed through the bras until I had my size. I was debating thong versus shorts when movement on the far side of the floor caught my eye. I closed them quickly. If someone else was being murdered I definitely didn’t want to know. And then I realised that closing my eyes would hide them from me, not me from them. So I opened them again and peered around the fixture. If someone was being murdered it was probably best if I saw who did it. Maybe it would be the same person who killed Jeremy and I could go and give them a piece of my mind for depositing him on my plane of existence. Or just find out their identity and tell someone else so they could deal with it.

  I could see the top of two heads just above clothing fixtures as if they were bending over Jeremy’s body. And then one of them helpfully stood up. It was Tommy. Tommy was still at the store? And why had he been here in the first place? If it wasn’t to do with the VTP then why? And why had he popped up right by Jeremy’s body? When I’d asked he’d distracted me with the fleeing Jeremy. I should’ve let Jeremy go and stayed to question Tommy. I was going get it in the neck from Sabrina for this.

  Maybe Tommy really was part of a super-secret police force. He turned in my direction and I ducked down behind the bras. I peeked to the side to see him talking to someone who was still bent over. The way Tommy was checking around it just did not look like whatever they were doing was on the up and up.

  And then the person he was talking to stood up. The back of the figure looked familiar. And then the figure turned around. “Edith?”

  Chapter Four

  “This is so creepy,” Lucy breathed as she looked around evacuation point A.

  Evacuation point A had turned out to be the attic floor of the department store. It was about the size of a football field with tall, uncovered windows and filled with an army of mannequins in varying states of injury. The moonlight spilled down onto the warped floorboards in window shaped shards that divided the room up into three. If I’d been alive I definitely would not have come up here.

  We’d all made it back to Petal, empty-handed, and in time to see Oz storming toward us with a sullen looking Katie in tow. If it had been anyone else I’d have guessed they’d argued but she always looked like that so, really, who knew? I did notice that I received an extra scowly scowl from him. Which I took to mean he was unhappy that I’d let Katie wander off, though I wasn’t entirely sure how it was my fault, or my responsibility, to look after her. Especially since Oz was always telling me he was responsible for me.

  Apart from Katie, Oz had returned alone. As in, without his GB escort. I didn’t question scowly Oz about it since he was busy being scowly. And because I’d likely get better answers from Charon anyway. Oz had made us all hold hands so he could tunnel us to evacuation point A together and then, after issuing what I felt had been excessively harsh directions about staying exactly where we were, he’d headed over to check in with one of the GBs.

  He was currently talking to Tarik, a short Indian guy with a solemn expression, and the huge woman from the changing room. I assumed that was Janice Peaks and Oz was trying to straighten out the complaint she’d made about me. Mainly because her face had wrinkled up like a prune and she hadn’t stopped frowning at me since he’d gone over.

  “Why do you think they chose this as the evacuation point?” Petal whispered in my ear, clinging on to my arm as if I were her comfort toy.

  “I’ve no idea.” As far as I was concerned the point of an evacuation was usually to get out of that building not just move to another part of.

  “Article three-G-H-seven, paragraph four, hon,” Anna said. “In the event of suspected illegal fraternisation with the living during a bureau designated activity all participants are to be moved to a contained section of that space until blame can be determined and assigned.”

  “Blame?” Petal twisted to face me, her grip tightening on my arm.

  “No one’s blaming anyone for anything,” Pam reassured Petal, patting her shoulder.

  “That’s right,” Anna agreed and then gestured to the centre of the room. “It’s more likely they’re gathering evidence against Bridget before they officially blame her, hon.”

  “Thanks for the input, Anna. It’s always appreciated,” I said.

  “Always happy to help the ignorant, hon.” Anna flipped her hair at me and began sorting through her bags.

  The GBs from the shopping trip had multiplied to what I thought was an unnecessary level. Six of them milled around the room while another six paired up for questioning. They’d set up three chairs in a line in the centre of the room, evenly spaced out and situated in the window shaped oblongs of moonlight. It reminded me of those spy interrogations in movies. Where the suspect sits on the chair while a couple of torturers circle like sharks. There didn’t look to be much torturing going on but you wouldn’t have guessed from the jittery body language of the suspects or the circling of the GBs. Officer Leonard, who was overseeing the questioning, paced between each of three interrogation camps, pausing every so often.

  “Are we investigating this?” Petal whispered in my right ear while staring at the questioning stations.

  “I think we should,” Pam whispered in my left ear. “If Anna’s right about the blame thing then she’s also right that it’s going to land on Bridget too.”

  “Why will it land on me? Just because I found him?” I asked.

  “That and because you killed him,” Lucy added.

  “We are not getting involved in this. I’m not getting involved in this. There’s nothing to investigate.” Even as I said it an image of Edith and Tommy hovering over Jeremy’s body floated through my mind.

  Petal stood in front of me. “There’s a dead man.”

  “Yes, but he’s not our dead man,” I insisted.

  Anna spoke from behind me. “He is now you’ve made him our dead man, hon.”

  “How did I make him your dead man?” I asked, twisting around to face Anna.

  Anna shrugged. “You killed him.”

  “I’ll take Harriet and the girls to the right. She and I are at the academy together so it won’t look weird if I go and talk to her. Ask her what she knows,” Lucy said.

  Pam blatantly pointed to a group of women to the left. “Okay, I’m going to go and see Yvonne. We’re in the same GA group.”

  “I’ll try those guys over in the right corner in the tin foil blankets. I can pretend I’m freaked out by it all too,” Petal suggested. “Bridget, I think you should go and talk to Officer Leonard. He likes you. Maybe you could get some information out of him.”

  “Well, I’m not getting involved,” Anna said.

  “That’s a very selfish way to think, Anna,” Petal reprimanded her softly.

  “No. I’m choking on the words but, in this instance, Anna’s right. We shouldn’t get involved in this. None of us. Someone died and it’s terrible. Mainly because now he’s on our plane of existence, but that doesn’t mean we have to work out who killed him. This is nothing to do with us.” Even if I was incredibly curious about why Tommy and Edith were examining Jeremy before the GBs got there. I could straight up ask Edith about that, though.

  “It has everything to do with us,” Pam exclaimed. “He thinks you killed him. You’re the prime suspect.”

  “And yet, for some reason, no one is questioning me,” I pointed out. And then crouched down to touched the wooden floorboards.

  Anna gave me a pitying look. “I’ve told you, hon, they’re compiling their evidence.”

  “If we don’t find out who killed him, the GBs will lock you away forever,” Petal added.

  “No. That won’t happen. I’ve done nothing wrong. This time, this time, I refuse to get involved. Our lives are not in jeopardy. We’re not suspected of this murder. We have absolutely no reason to investigate this.”

  Lucy curled her lip in disgust. “Sabrina would be so disappointed in you.”

  I gave Lucy a flat stare. “And yet somehow I’ll find the strength to carry on.”
/>   “What if whoever killed the dead guy comes after us?” Petal asked.

  “Why would he come after us?” I asked.

  “Well …” Petal shook her head as if it would shake a good excuse out of her mouth.

  “Because they’ve already killed someone and that means that they’re crazy. Who knows what crazy people will do,” Pam offered.

  Petal pointed to Pam. “What she said.”

  “And when people die around you usually whoever killed them tries to kill you at some point so we’re doing you a favour because we don’t want you to die,” Lucy added.

  Petal pointed to Lucy. “And what she said.”

  “Your plan has one huge flaw,” I said, looking around at my three wannabe Sherlock Holmeses. “People usually try to kill me because I’m involved in the investigation. So, how about this time we don’t get involved in the investigation and then no one will try and kill me?”

  “I’m not getting involved, hon,” Anna repeated.

  “Or maybe the killer will think that you’re involved in the investigation because you’re always involved in the investigation and they won’t believe that you’ve abstained this time, so they try and kill you anyway because they think you’re covert investigating,” Petal pointed out. “So, really, you have no choice but to investigate and save yourself.”

  “What she said,” Pam and Lucy spoke in unison and both pointed to Petal.

  “Okay. No one is spending any more time with Sabrina,” I said, looking around at them to drive my point home. “No one.”

  “So we can investigate?” Petal asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

  I rolled the word around my mouth to make it as clear as possible. “No.”

  “I’m not investigating, hon,” Anna said again.

  “But I don’t want you to die,” Petal whined and threw her arms around me.

  “It’s okay, Petal. We don’t need Bridget’s permission,” Pam said, tugging Petal away.

  “She’s not good at investigating, anyway,” Lucy added. “I mean, look at how many times she’s nearly been killed. She’ll only slow us down.”

  “I agree. Bridget is inept but I’m still not getting involved in this,” Anna repeated.

  Pam reached her hand, palm down, in front of me. Petal reached over and placed her hand on top of it and then Lucy reached over and placed her hand on top of Petal’s. They all looked to me expectantly. Pam jiggled her hand, making everyone’s hands on top jiggle.

  “Did you miss the point where I said no?” I asked and then Pam reached out and placed my hand on top of theirs. Petal grabbed Anna’s hand and placed it on top. Anna let her. Nothing happened.

  “Please, Bridget.” Petal blinked her huge blue eyes at me. “I don’t want you to be murdered.”

  “Fine,” I drew the word out on an extra heavy sigh. Sabrina would likely con me into investigating anyway. “Do you guys have a slogan or something?”

  “We thought you would,” Lucy said.

  “This was your idea. Why would I have a slogan?” I asked.

  “Don’t you and Sabrina do this before you decide to solve murders?” Pam asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m usually too busy trying to explain to Sabrina why we shouldn’t be investigating.”

  “Okay, think of a slogan,” Lucy said.

  “Let’s go solve a murder and not get killed,” I offered.

  Lucy took her hand back and threw me a dirty look. “Well, that was terrible.”

  “I don’t feel enthused to solve this crime at all,” Pam said.

  “Me either,” said Anna.

  “Well, maybe we shouldn’t then,” I said.

  “We’ll work on it.” Pam patted me on the arm and then nudged Petal and Lucy off toward their respective targets.

  “I’m still not helping,” Anna informed me as she walked away.

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  I watched them go. They were not subtle people. I doubted there was much I could say that would convince them not to do this, so then I needed to make them safer. They still had the stun guns Sabrina had given them from when Katie escaped, but maybe they needed more practical physical self-defence skills. I glanced over at Oz, who was trying to watch all of us at the same time. His attention jumped from Lucy to Pam to Petal to Anna and Katie and then to me. He raised his eyebrows in question. I shrugged and moved, probably not so subtly, out of his line of sight to hide behind a group of mannequins.

  “Are you hiding from someone?” Officer Leonard asked as he moved to stand beside me, both of us out of Oz’s sight. I adjusted my fringe and pretended I hadn’t heard him. “Surely, you’re not still upset with me.”

  I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Why would I be upset with you? It’s not like you lied to me about one of my housemates being dead, then admitted me to a mental institution so you could use me to bait out a killer, which I nearly died doing.”

  Officer Leonard inclined his head. “I do remember telling you that I was grateful for your help.”

  I scoffed. “You didn’t even bring me ice cream. How grateful can you be?”

  Officer Leonard smiled at the floor. “I’ll bear that in mind for future.”

  “Or maybe there could just not be an ‘in future’.”

  “I believe it was you who found the body,” Officer Leonard said.

  “You say that like there’s ever a time when someone else finds the bodies.”

  “You do seem to have a knack for it, I’ll admit.”

  “And no ice cream to show for it. Found out what happened yet?” I asked and nodded to the line of questioning stations.

  “We’re working on it. Maybe you could explain how you found him.”

  “If I tell you will I still have to tell them?” I asked, gesturing in the direction of the interrogators.

  Officer Leonard nodded. “You will.”

  “Then why would I want to repeat myself for someone who doesn’t bring me ice cream?”

  “Because Officer Salier will insist on being present when you’re questioned so you will have to moderate what you say.” Officer Leonard stepped to the side to peek through the mannequins.

  “Moderate what I say? You make it sound like I was doing something wrong. I didn’t kill him.”

  “I feel as though I have a good grasp on who you are, Ms Sway. I know you didn’t kill him.”

  I turned to look at him. “Do you?”

  “I do,” he said with a nod. “As do your investigators, who I see are out in force helping to gather intel for you.”

  “They’re not my investigators and they’re not gathering intel, they’re simply talking to their friends,” I said. I should’ve realised Officer Leonard would’ve clocked them.

  “I don’t suppose there’s anyone you’d like to throw into the ring as a suspect?”

  I thought about the fleeing figure. And then of Tommy and Edith hovering over Jeremy’s body. And then I remembered Parole Officer Janice’s complaint that I doubted Oz would get straightened out. That Janice woman did not seem like the complaint retracting type.

  “Well, y’know, there’s a shifty lady called Janice that my parole officer is talking to.” I pointed through the mannequins in Oz’s direction.

  Officer Leonard moved slightly to the side so he could see who I was talking about. “She’s a parole officer.”

  I gave him my best shocked expression. “Oh. Is she?”

  “You think she was involved with the death of the medium?” Officer Leonard asked.

  “I think she’d be a good place to start. You might need to slap a confession from her, though. Don’t believe her when she says she doesn’t know anything. And don’t be gentle.” I sneaked a peek at her and then sized up Officer Leonard. She was bigger than him. “Maybe take some backup.”

  Officer Leonard smiled at me, slightly wider than his usual amiable smile. “I feel there may be an underlying reason for you directing me to her, something about an unjustified complaint, perha
ps.”

  I nodded. “It was unjustified and she started it.”

  “I could look into getting it removed for you,” Officer Leonard offered.

  “What would that cost me? A kidney?”

  Officer Leonard laughed softly. “I’ll take that as a ‘no, thank you’. And I’ll pay particular attention when she’s questioned. Anyone else?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Just the parole officer.”

  “Yes, just the parole officer.” And the fleeing figure. And Tommy. And Edith.

  We stood in silence for several minutes, watching everyone go about their business.

  “Did he say anything to you about why he was here at the store?” Officer Leonard asked.

  “I didn’t ask. I was trying to get back to Oz so I could tell him about Jeremy and not get into any trouble.”

  “How did he get so far ahead of you?” Officer Leonard asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “According to witnesses, he was by the fitting rooms and you were still on the escalators when you called in your housemates for reinforcements.”

  Something told me not to drop Tommy in it. I was, like, eighty percent certain he wasn’t directly involved in Jeremy’s death. Maybe it was more like seventy percent. But, more than anything, it kind of felt weird to tell on him. And Edith. I didn’t know who’d get in more trouble if I mentioned that I was on familiar terms with an outlaw. No, I did. It would be me.

  I pointed to my bare feet. “I’m not exactly equipped for a sprinting challenge.”

  “He didn’t ask you anything before he realised he was dead?” Officer Leonard asked, acknowledging my excuse.

  “What would he ask me?”

  “I don’t know. Did he say much?”

  “He said plenty. Wait until you meet him—you won’t be able to shut him up.”