A Different Shade Of Death: A Cozy Mystery Ghost Story (Storage Ghost Murders Book 2)

by Gillian Larkin

  “The Heaths have lived in Heathville since it was built. When I got married Father insisted on me living there too. I wanted to leave but he said I wouldn’t get an allowance if I did. My husband was in awe of Father and would do anything he asked. The decision was made for me and we stayed at Heathville. My husband even changed his name to Heath so that I could keep the family name. I didn’t know how weak willed he was until after we were married.”

  Emily gave a bitter laugh. “Things were much harder for women in those days, we didn’t have the freedom that you have now. I should have left my husband and that house and to hell with the consequences.”

  “Why didn’t you like living there? It’s a beautiful house,” Grace asked.

  “It’s like a museum, nothing was new. Father didn’t want to buy anything new, he didn’t like spending money, kept it all in the bank. My husband ended up being the same, he followed Father round like a puppy. They were always having secret get togethers, going into the library for business meetings. When my son came along I felt happier but then as he got older he started to follow Father and my husband around. He was like a miniature version of them. I felt like I was living in a prison.”

  Grace reached over and took the cup of tea from Emily’s shaking hands. She put it down on the tray.

  Emily gave her a smile of thanks. “I was so angry with them all, the way they used to speak to me! I made secret plans to escape, I put aside as much money as I could. I counted down the days until I had enough to leave but then ... then ...”

  She looked down at her skirt. Grace saw a tear land on the skirt. She came round to Emily’s chair and hunkered down. She put her arm around the older woman’s shoulders. “You don’t have to tell me any more, it’s okay.”

  Emily sniffed and looked up. “No, I need to say it. Father and my husband died within a week of each other. At Heathville, in the library. One week apart and they both died in the same area, just near the bookcases on the left.”

  Grace looked over at Charlie. He was listening intently.

  Emily looked directly at Grace and said, “This sounds awful but I was glad, so glad that both of them were dead. Isn’t that awful?”

  Grace shook her head. “No, just because someone dies it doesn’t make them a better person, you can’t change how they were in life. If you don’t mind me asking, how did they die?”

  Emily frowned. “The doctor said it was some sort of poisoning. They wouldn’t give me the full details, probably thought I was too feeble to deal with the truth. The police came round and questioned the staff, they must have thought someone had slipped something in their food. There’s something strange about that house, I’m sure it’s haunted.”

  Grace didn’t say anything, she looked at Charlie. He was looking at the carpet, a faraway look on his face.

  Emily tapped Grace on her hand and said, “You sit back down, I haven’t told you the full story yet. I want to tell you how I lost the family fortune!”

  Chapter 16

  “Once my husband and Father were gone my son became more ... normal, I suppose. We had a good life together. I think losing his father and grandfather affected him even though he never spoke about it. He became a bit of a loner, stayed at home. I was soft with him. Instead of making him go out to work I told him he didn’t have to. We had plenty of money to live on. I quite enjoyed using the family money, it had been stuck in the bank for too long. I can see now that I spoilt him, I should have insisted on him getting a job and becoming independent.”

  Grace gave her an understanding smile. “I think I’d be the same too if I had children, I’m sure you’re not the only mother to feel overprotective. You mentioned something about computers?”

  “Oh, yes, he loved computers! We got one of the first ones that came out, all those years ago. He was always playing games on them. And when a new model came out, he had to have it. He even made me a buy a laptop. That’s when the trouble began. I couldn’t use it at first but he told me I was being silly. He showed me how to use it and even how to send emails.”

  Emily paused, she looked as if she was not sure whether to go on.

  “I remember when that first email arrived. I didn’t know at the time that it was spam. I thought it was a genuine offer. It said I had £20 in credit to play on their online bingo. I didn’t see the harm in playing a few games, it was fun.”

  Grace didn’t say anything, she had an awful feeling that she knew where this was going.

  Emily said, “You can probably guess what happened, I became addicted. I played more and more. I had trouble sleeping, I used to think I could hear ghosts in the house, particularly in the library. I know it sounds silly. Anyway, I used to be up until the early hours most days, gambling away. I won occasionally but mainly I lost. I thought there was plenty of money in the bank but it began to go down. I was so silly. I even went on other gambling sites, it’s so easy online!”

  “It’s too easy,” Grace added. “Did your son know?”

  Emily shook her head vehemently. “I couldn’t tell him, I was too ashamed. The money had been promised to him and there I was, gambling it away at the click of a button. I started to sell some of my jewellery to pay for my gambling debts. I felt awful taking them into shops to sell, I felt so grubby. Luckily, I didn’t have to do that for long. That woman got in touch with me and sorted everything out.”

  “What woman?”

  “This woman phoned me up, I don’t know how she got my number. She said her name was Janet Smith and she’d heard that I was having trouble paying my debts. She was so understanding, she told me I shouldn’t be ashamed about my gambling if it gave me enjoyment. She gave me the website addresses of other sites, she said I would be more likely to win on them. Then she said she could help me pay my debts without me having to leave the house to sell items. She knew where I lived ...”

  “How?” Grace interrupted. This Janet Smith was sounding highly suspicious.

  Emily shrugged. “I think you can find out all sorts on the Internet. Janet Smith said I must have some old furniture that I didn’t need anymore. She offered to have it collected and sold on my behalf. Wasn’t that kind of her? There were some old pieces that I didn’t like so I agreed to it. Some men came round and collected quite a bit.”

  “What did you tell your son? Wasn’t he suspicious?”

  Emily looked towards the window. “I told him I was having them restored. I’m so ashamed, I didn’t want to lie to him. I happily carried on gambling. That Janet was wrong about the new sites, I didn’t win at all. And I needed more money to gamble with. She phoned me again to say she knew about a loan company that would be able to help me.”

  Emily stopped talking. She sighed deeply, her eyes glittered with tears.

  Grace said softly, “You don’t have to go into details. I’m guessing that your debts got higher, you took more loans out to meet the costs?”

  Emily nodded. “And don’t forget the part about lying to my son, that was the worst part. I could barely sleep with worry. It wasn’t just the ghosts at Heathville that were keeping me awake, it was my guilt. I joined an online support group, I had to do something. That’s where I met Ted, my boyfriend. He was so supportive, didn’t judge me. The first thing I did was close down all my memberships on the gambling sites. Ted told me to get legal advice about my debts. He’d gone through something similar. Well, I didn’t need to. Janet Smith phoned me the day after I closed my last account. She said she understood exactly what I was going through and that she had an easy solution for me, one that would clear my debts in one go.”

  Charlie spoke. Grace had almost forgotten he was there. He said in a dull voice, “She told you to sell Heathville.”

  Emily said, “She told me to sell my house. She already had the name of someone who might be interested, a Charlie Ford.”

  Grace looked at Charlie, he gave a slight shake of his head as if this was the first he’d heard about it.

  “I was shocked at first, I couldn’t leav
e Heathville! It had been in the family since it was built. I told Janet I’d have to think about it. I actually slept better that night knowing a solution was near to hand. I thought about all the bad memories I’d had, how I’d wanted to leave years ago. A lovely light feeling began to settle on me, it was like someone had lifted a boulder from my shoulders, I could breath easily again. When Janet phoned me later I said yes. Within two days that Charlie Ford came round. He was a bit brusque but I could see that he would take care of the house. He gave me a good price, enough to clear all my debts and buy this lovely place. I thought I would feel sad when I left Heathville for the last time but I felt so light I almost thought I could fly! And I love my new home, it’s perfect for me.”

  “Sounds like everything worked out well for you,” Grace said. Charlie stood up and walked over to the window, he looked out, his hands clasped behind his back.

  Emily’s smile dropped. “Everything was good for me but not James, my son. He’s had to get a job and ...”

  “Where’s my kiss!” a voice boomed out.

  “Oh!” Emily’s hand flew to her mouth, her cheeks coloured. She looked at Grace and said, “That’s Ted, my boyfriend.”

  Ted walked into the room, his lips puckered up.

  Grace’s mouth dropped open. Ted was the foreman that she’d seen earlier at Heathville.

  Charlie spun around, he pointed a finger at Ted and yelled, “I remember! I’ve seen him before, when I was alive. He’s the one who killed me!”

  Chapter 17

  Ted’s puckered lips didn’t move, his startled eyes darted between Grace and Emily. Emily laughed, stood up and kissed Ted.

  Ted muttered, “What’s going on? I didn’t know you had company.”

  Emily said, “This is Grace, she called round to drop some of my belongings off. I’m afraid I’ve rather bored her with my family history.”

  Grace stood up. “Not at all.” She winced. Charlie was shouting in her ear, something about room plans and a funny smell. Grace tried hard to ignore him, she would talk to him later.

  Ted frowned. “I know you, you’ve just been up to Heathville.” His voice rose, “Did that Amy Ford send you? She’s not getting another penny out of Emily! You can tell her that!”

  Emily put a hand on Ted’s arm in an effort to calm him down. “Grace doesn’t have anything to do with Amy. I really don’t understand what you’ve got against Amy. See that box? It’s got some of my belongings in it, Amy gave it to Grace and Grace brought it to me, that’s all that’s going on. You need to calm down, Ted, your face is going red.”

  Ted scowled at Grace. “Are you sure you’ve got nothing to do with Amy Ford?”

  Grace confirmed that she hadn’t. She told him why she had paid Amy a visit earlier. Grace noticed that Charlie had gone quiet now.

  Ted seemed to accept Grace’s explanation.

  Grace said, “I’d better be going. Thanks for the tea.”

  Emily smiled at her. “It should be me thanking you, listening to my tales of woe.”

  “What have you told her?” Ted blurted out.

  Emily gave him a stern look. “Don’t you talk to me like that, Ted Thomas. I’ll talk to who I like about what I like. You’re not talking to one of your lads now.”

  Ted gave her an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, love, it’s been a difficult day. Let me see Grace out.”

  “Okay, and you can apologise to her on the way out,” Emily said. She turned to Grace and winked.

  Grace said goodbye and followed Ted out through the bungalow. He stopped at the end of the path. “I am sorry about shouting at you. You won’t know but Emily had to sell Heathville.”

  “I do know, Emily told me everything. All about the gambling and then having to sell. I think she felt better for telling me. She said you’ve helped her a lot.”

  Ted smiled. “I’d do anything for Emily. It just makes me so mad to think that Amy Ford is now living in Emily’s house.”

  Grace said, “Emily told me it was a relief to sell the house, to clear all her debts. She mentioned that the woman on the phone, Janet Smith, put Charlie Ford in touch with Emily. I don’t think it’s Amy’s fault that Emily had to sell her house.”

  Ted gave Grace a searching look. He looked back over his shoulder towards the bungalow and then back at Grace. “You don’t know, do you? Well, why would you? I only found out recently. When Emily sold her house to Charlie Ford I thought he had something to do with her debts and loans. He’s in the loan business so I thought he’d been in cahoots with gambling sites to get Emily to gamble all her money away. Then, when the time was right, he swooped in with offers of loans and eventually, when she couldn’t pay, he then bought the house. That was the general opinion of everyone who knew Emily, we all thought Charlie Ford was the cause of her problems.”

  Grace shot a sideways glance at Charlie. His brow wrinkled and he shook his head.

  Ted carried on, “After he died I overheard something that changed my mind. Me and the lads started doing work on the house when Charlie was alive, just the basics, going through the plans, looking at what needed doing. After Charlie died Amy Ford became impatient, she wanted the work doing quicker so we were at the house most days. She must have forgotten we were there most of the time, people become invisible if you’re used to seeing them all the time.

  “One day, a few weeks ago, me and one of the lads were stripping wallpaper outside the room that she uses as an office when we overheard her on the phone. I was only half listening at first but then what she was saying made me stop in my tracks. She was talking to someone about their debts and how she could help them. Emily had told me everything that Janet Smith had said to her on the phone. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, Amy Ford was saying the exact same things that Janet Smith had said to Emily. I had no doubts that Amy Ford was Janet Smith. And I knew that it was Amy who had tricked Emily out of her house.”

  Charlie moved closer to Grace. He said, “That’s impossible, Amy’s not capable of that, she hasn’t got the brains for it.”

  Grace said, “How do you know it was Amy? She could have been working for someone

  called Janet Smith.”

  “The lad who was with me thought that too, he said I couldn’t accuse Amy of anything until I had proof. We waited until she left the house then we looked in her office. Don’t look at me like that! She hurt my Emily, she wasn’t going to get away with it.”

  Ted paused and sighed. “We were right. Amy Ford was Janet Smith. She owns several loan companies, she has agreements with many gambling sites. They let her know when someone has trouble paying their gambling fees, they give Amy all the details, the phone numbers and the rest. Then Amy phones them, catches them at their lowest and offers them a way out.”

  Grace took a moment to let the information sink in. Had Charlie found out what Amy had been doing? Had he threatened her in some way? Had Amy killed Charlie to silence him?

  Chapter 18

  Ted voiced Grace’s concern. “I can tell you, I was shocked at what I’d found out. Amy comes across as so kind and thoughtful, almost like a doormat kind of person, not the type to stand up for herself. But there she was, conning people out of their money and destroying lives. I wondered if she’d killed her husband. Maybe he’d found out about her scheme and was going to do something about it. But she was away when Charlie Ford died, on some holiday abroad with her friends. It was me who found him, lying in the library. I thought he was sleeping at first. I don’t know why there wasn’t a full inquest into his death, the police never interviewed anyone about it. I don’t know what’s wrong with the police nowadays.” He shook his head. “ I’d better get back to Emily. You steer clear of Amy Ford, she’s a nasty piece of work.”

  Ted turned away and walked back towards the bungalow.

  Grace took a moment. She couldn’t believe it, was Amy really like that? Was she capable of scamming someone like Emily? And was she capable of murder? If Charlie had been poisoned it could have been a gradu
al process. Amy could have made sure that she was away when Charlie finally died to throw any suspicion off herself.

  Grace’s heart sank. What had she got herself into? She walked away from the bungalow, her steps heavy.

  Charlie walked at her side. “I can’t believe that about Amy, it can’t be true, I would have known.”

  Grace didn’t say anything. She didn’t feel like talking. How could she have been fooled so easily?

  Charlie said, “I suppose she could have been up to something, I never really paid her much attention, I had my own work to do. Could she be so cold hearted?”

  Grace stopped. She looked around, no one was near. She said, “You told me that she’d always wanted to live in Heathville, maybe she was behind all of this. She’s fooled everyone. When we were inside Emily’s house you said that you’d seen Ted before, you accused him of murdering you. What did you mean?”

  Charlie put his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. “I can’t quite remember now. He was always cold with me, I can understand why now if he thought I had something to do with Emily losing Heathville. But there was something else, something to do with the original plans of the house. And there was a smell, an awful smell somewhere.”

  Charlie clutched his stomach. He let out a cry of pain. “Not again! I thought it had gone!”

  Grace said, “What is it? Has the pain come back? Is it worse than before?”

  He straightened up and rubbed his stomach. “It’s gone now, it was just a spasm. Who are you phoning?”

  “My brother. If you’re in pain he might be too,” Grace said.

  Frankie answered on the second ring. “Yo, Sis, how’re you doing? Hope you’re not phoning up to check on me.”

  “Just phoning,” Grace tried to keep her tone light. “How are you anyway?”

  Frankie snorted. “Fine! My bottom’s fine too if that’s what you wanted to hear.”