Murder Ghost Foul: The Complete Mystic Springs Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

by Mona Marple

  A noise had woken me, and I knew what it would be.

  Scarlett was in a phase of tumbling out of bed and I was often woken by her tiny body making a soft whack on to the pillows that I placed around her bed.

  As sleep drifted away, I remembered that I was sleeping alone so that Taylor wouldn’t see me on the eve of our wedding.

  My wedding!

  The thought made me grin and sleep retreated. I wiped my eyes as I looked out of the window. The winery was in darkness, vine after vine illuminated only by the moon.

  Another creak came from outside of my room and I frowned.

  I was certain that Taylor would have locked his bedroom door. There was no chance that that noise could be Axel or Scarlett wandering the grand house in search of me.

  But as soon as the idea occurred to me, I had to check.

  I grabbed my phone and switched on the torch function, then opened the bedroom door and looked down the corridor.

  “Axel? Scarlett?” I whispered.

  There was no reply and I was about to close the door and return to bed when I saw a figure at the end of the corridor. Shrouded in a cloak, the figure retreated out of view.

  I followed, leaving my bedroom door open.

  At the end of the corridor was the staircase leading down to the ground floor, and I took the stairs as quietly as I could.

  Up ahead, the figure scooted away and I picked up the pace, but they disappeared again. The grand house was like a maze and it was easy to lose my bearings.

  With some resignation, I turned and retracted my steps.

  As I reached the staircase, I looked up and saw Sidney Hawthorne peering over the bannister in a pair of checked pyjamas. His hair stood out at all angles from his head and he suppressed a yawn as he looked down at me.

  “Oh! I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?” I asked.

  “Not at all. Is everything okay? Do you need anything?”

  “No, no, thank you. I heard a noise.”

  “You did?” He frowned and rubbed his temple.

  “I don’t know what it was, but something woke me. I got up and saw someone,” I explained.

  “The ghost? You saw the ghost?”

  I shook my head. “No, it was a person.”

  “You’re sure? Nobody else is up. It must have been the ghost,” Sidney said.

  I thought back. I had been half-asleep still when I saw the dark figure. “I guess it could have been.”

  “Go back to bed and lock your door. I’ll have a look around,” Sidney said, already starting down the stairs.

  “Whoever it was, I think they’re gone now,” I said.

  “Better to be safe and double-check. Lock your door, Connie. I couldn’t take it if another person was hurt by this spirit,” Sidney said.

  He passed me on the staircase and I turned and watched.

  “Do you want a light?” I called after him.

  He turned and looked at me, then shook his head and disappeared into the darkness.

  I followed his advice and returned to my room, where I sank back under the covers and waited for sleep to find me.

  Had the figure been a ghost?

  I had been sure it hadn’t, but the more I considered my memory of the dark shadow, the less I felt certain of anything.

  Eventually, sleep found me and I dreamed dreams of things that went bump in the night.

  I woke early, just as the sun was rising, and with a headache that disappeared as soon as I remembered that it was my wedding day.

  In just a few short hours, I would be a bride. A wife. Married to the man I called my best friend.

  I buried my face in the pillow and gave out a squeal, and when I sat back up, Sage had appeared in my room.

  She stood by the window, looking out over the vineyards.

  “Where were you last night?” I asked.

  A cheeky grin crossed her face as she turned to look at me. “I slipped off with Patton for a little bonding time.”

  “That’s enough detail! You missed the ghost,” I said.

  “Really? I thought there wasn’t a ghost?” Sage asked.

  “I still don’t think there is. But I woke up last night and saw someone out in the corridor. I tried to catch them but they got away,” I explained.

  “You saw whoever drove Libby Louth to her death and chased them? What’s wrong with you, Connie? You can’t take risks like that!”

  “I didn’t exactly have time to consider things. I just heard something, saw them, and went after them,” I said with a shrug.

  “Have you told Taylor?”

  “No! I can’t see him before the wedding,” I exclaimed.

  “Hmm. Okay, well, I think it’s time to forget about the ghost and focus on your big day. This is your wedding day! It’s a once in a lifetime experience and you shouldn’t be distracted by anything else.”

  I grimaced. “I hate to say it, but you’re right. Nothing’s going to get in the way of today being perfect!”

  I climbed out of bed and padded across to the en suite, where I splashed water on my face and gazed at my unmarried reflection.

  From the bedroom, Sage let out a blood-curdling scream and I raced back to her.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Forget everything I just said. We’re going to catch that ghost. And boy will they be sorry!” Sage exclaimed. Her face was red and her fists were clenched.

  “What do you…” I asked, then turned, followed her gaze, and fainted.

  10

  I came around to see Sage and Heidi both looking at me with concern. Alright, Heidi’s expression was closer to boredom than concern, but Sage looked pretty worried.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “You fainted,” Sage explained. Her eyes scanned over to my wedding dress, and mine followed.

  There, on the hanger, was my beautiful dress. Except it had been torn down the middle, separating it into two halves.

  “My dress!” I cried.

  “I’ve heard of people having second thoughts, but ruining the dress never makes sense. You could probably have sold it to some other sucker, you know?” Heidi said.

  “What? I haven’t had second thoughts! Someone’s been in here!”

  “It’s the ghost. Or the person pretending to be a ghost,” Sage said.

  “What am I going to do?” I asked as I stared at my ruined gown.

  “Can you sew?” Heidi asked.

  “No! I mean, I can patch a hole in a pair of trousers, maybe. But I can’t sew a wedding dress back together!”

  “Oh. That’s a bummer. I thought they taught needlecraft at school back in the olden days.”

  “The olden days?” Sage’s eyes narrowed.

  “What are you doing in here, anyway? You just happened to be hanging around near my room?” I asked Heidi.

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “I just happen to live here. My room’s next to this one. Your screams woke me up and I foolishly thought I should come and check everything’s okay.”

  “They were my screams, actually,” Sage said.

  “Whatever. You’re clearly fine, so I’ll be going back to bed,” Heidi said.

  “Wait,” I said.

  She looked at me. Her face was free of make-up and I couldn’t believe someone so appearance-focused would choose to be seen that way, even though she had the good skin that youth provided and naturally bright eyes.

  “I need to figure out who did this. Will you help me?”

  She took a dramatic look at her wrist, which bore no watch, then looked back across at me. “You have five minutes.”

  “I don’t think there’s a ghost here, which means that someone is pretending to be a ghost. Why would someone do that?”

  “You tell me. It all sounds mad to me,” Heidi gave an uninterested shrug.

  “What can you tell us about Libby Louth?”

  Heidi sighed as if the whole conversation was a huge effort. “She was fine, I guess. Very plain. I don’t think I ever saw
her wear make-up. She mainly spent time here with Tammy. They started off as friends. She’d worked here for a few summers but that was going back a few years. She’d still help out with big events sometimes.”

  “Were you here the night she died?”

  Heidi nodded. “It was a real scene. She was arguing with Tammy again and I just tried to keep away. She was going off on one saying that she’d discovered a secret, or discovered the truth maybe. And she was going to tell.”

  “What had she discovered?” I asked.

  “Oh, I have no idea. Those two were fighting all the time over the last few months. It all got a bit boring. And Libby could be quite dramatic.”

  “What happened next?”

  “She said she was going to share what she knew, and she left in a strop. She banged the door behind her and everything. You know what happened next. She crashed her car into a tree.”

  “And everyone thinks the ghost scared her and made her crash. What makes people think that?”

  “It’s what she said,” Heidi explained.

  I jolted to attention. “What do you mean?”

  “She didn’t die at the scene. We heard the crash inside the house and mum was out there right away. Libby told her it was the ghost.”

  “And then she died?”

  “And then she died. Pretty sad, really. Imagine dying before you’ve even discovered how to contour. Such a waste.”

  “That’s really helpful. Thank you. You’re pretty serious about the influencing, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, sure. It’s just a calling. Not everyone can live their life on screen, but I just know that I was sent here to live a big life and let other people watch. And learn something, of course.”

  “Of course,” I agreed.

  “Do you know exactly what Libby said to your mum?” Sage asked.

  Heidi tapped her chin as she considered the question. “She might have told me but honestly there’s a limit to how much information I can store, and I have so many big plans for the future, it’s pretty jam-packed in there.”

  I frowned. Heidi saw me.

  “Oh! You really mustn’t frown, it’s so bad for your ageing. You’re literally training your facial muscles to droop when you frown. At your age, it’s a real risk you can’t take.”

  “I’ll remember that,” I dead-panned.

  11

  “She’s a self-absorbed, vain, materialistic, rude little twerp!” Sage exclaimed as she paced back and forth in the room after Heidi had left.

  “She’s also the only one who came to help when you screamed,” I said.

  “Sure, she probably came with her phone to snap live footage for her social media channels!”

  I laughed as I realised that Heidi had indeed had her phone with her.

  “Don’t be so cynical. She’s just young and a little, erm…”

  “Self-absorbed?”

  I cocked my head and laughed at the idea of Sage calling someone else self-absorbed.

  We were interrupted by a knock at the bedroom door. I shouted for the person to come in, and watched Petunia enter, scan the room for the dress, and cover her mouth with her hand.

  “Oh no,” she mouthed.

  “It’s okay,” I said.

  “How can you be so calm? This is your wedding dress! It was perfect! The wedding’s in just a few hours!”

  “Well, it’s just a dress,” I said.

  “That thing is not just a dress, sis,” Sage said.

  “Sure, I’m disappointed. I’m gutted. But today is about marrying the man I love. I can do that in jeans and a t-shirt if I have to,” I said with a smile.

  “No. Absolutely not. You’ll be married looking like a princess. I insist on it. I’m not an expert but I have a sewing machine. Can I try and fix it?” Petunia asked.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re busy enough,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m rushed off my feet. I have to contact estate agents, have a deep clean of the place, take photographs…”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “This is the final straw. Whoever the ghost is, they’ve just won. I can’t have a bride stay here and have her wedding dress ruined. I’ll be putting this place on the market as soon as I can.”

  “But you love this place,” Sage said.

  Petunia nodded, her eyes filled with tears.

  “If you were going to sell up, why not do it after Libby’s death?” I asked.

  “Yeah. A torn wedding dress is awful but a person crashing their car into a tree is even worse, surely?”

  Petunia wiped her eyes and nodded. “You’re right. I should have sold then. I was stubborn. Libby had spent so much time here, I convinced myself that selling up wouldn’t be what she wanted. The truth is, it just isn’t what I want.”

  “Libby was really part of the family, huh?”

  Petunia eyed me, her brows furrowed, then gave a weak smile. “She was a good worker and a friend to my daughters.”

  “I heard that she spoke to you after the crash. What did she say?”

  Petunia sighed. “I’ll never forget that awful crash. It was like time stopped. I ran out and it was like slow motion. She was sitting there in the car, and I think she knew she wasn’t going to pull through. I just held her. It was awful.”

  “What did she say?” I asked.

  “Honestly, it’s the ghost.”

  “Honestly, it’s the ghost? You’re sure?” I asked.

  Petunia nodded. “Every word was a struggle for her. I knew that it was painful for her. So, trust me, I was listening better than I’ve listened to anything in my life.”

  “It’s a strange way to phrase it,” I said.

  “Sounds kind of clunky,” Sage agreed.

  “I guess perfect English wasn’t her priority at the time. Look, I understand that I asked you here to banish the ghost, but you’ve told me there isn’t one. I don’t know what the truth is anymore, but I’m past caring. I’m going to fix your dress and give you a wonderful wedding, and then this place can become someone else’s problem.”

  “Okay,” I said. Petunia carefully scooped up the dress and left the room.

  After sitting in the room for a few minutes, I grew restless and decided to go for breakfast.

  I took a seat in the dining room and perused the menu.

  “Good morning. Happy wedding day!” Sidney called as he came out with a small notepad and pen.

  “Ah, thank you. I’m sorry for disturbing you last night,” I said.

  “No apology needed. Running a hotel is a little like having babies all over again. I’m always listening out for movement, wanting to make sure everyone’s okay.”

  “You must do that more since the ghost,” I said.

  Sidney nodded. “That’s part of it.”

  “I was speaking to Heidi earlier. She was telling me how close Libby was to everyone. I was surprised because Tammy had seemed not to know her that well.”

  Sidney frowned. “Really? She was Tammy’s friend. She only got to know the rest of us because of Tammy. Does that matter?”

  “No, probably not. I just wondered why Tammy had played it down when they were obviously very close,” I watched Sidney for a reaction.

  He didn’t so much as twitch. “They were arguing in the run-up to Libby’s death. Not over anything big! But a rift had grown between them. I’m sure if Tammy said they weren’t close it’s because she didn’t think they were, at the end.”

  “It’s very sad. It must have been hard for you all.”

  “It was. I felt strongly that we should have sold up then. It wasn’t fair to ask the girls to stay here, so close to where their friend died. Anyway, enough of this horrid talk on your special day. What can I get for you?”

  I ordered poached eggs and bacon and watched as Sidney awkwardly jotted it down on his notepad.

  “Oh, Mr Hawthorne,” I called after him.

  He turned and gave me an expectant smile.

  “Did you find
anything last night? After I went back to bed?”

  He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I didn’t. I’m very sorry to hear about your dress. He really is a menace.”

  “He?”

  “The ghost. The sooner we’re rid of this place, the better.”

  12

  Sage

  I’ll tell you something right now.

  If there is a ghost of Hawthorne Winery, I’ll happily go five rounds in the ring with them.

  My sister’s beautiful wedding dress is ruined!

  Torn clean in two!

  Now, I know there’s a whole genre of movies that rely on the old idea of ghosts being dangerous and nasty and scary, but I have to tell you that that’s really not the case.

  Sure, there are some horrid ones, just like there are some horrid people alive.

  But most ghosts are really just interested in having a peaceful afterlife.

  Sure, we might like to play pranks and have a little fun at times. I’m as guilty of that as the next spook.

  But ruining a wedding dress the night before the big day?!

  That’s crossing a line.

  “You’re miles away,” Connie said in between bites of her breakfast.

  I tried to ignore the ghost hunger pangs. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t have done for a slice of bacon.

  “I was just thinking about the wedding,” I lied.

  “Does it make you think of your own?”

  “Stop doing that! Always pushing the attention away from yourself. Today is all about you, little sis. I’m just the bridesmaid.”

  “Have you prepared your speech?” Connie asked with a grin.

  “Please, I was born to give speeches. How long have I got? Is it an hour or two?”

  Connie laughed.

  “You know, it’s kind of traditional to get the bridesmaid a gift. To say thank you for their hard work and support,” I teased.

  “Is that so? I must have missed that chapter in the wedding guide.”

  “Typical. The one time you don’t read a book from cover to cover. Anyway, how are you feeling? Other than devastated about the dress.”

  “I’m not even devastated. It was a horrible shock, but you know me, I’m not about things like that. Petunia might rescue it, and if she can’t I’ll find something else.”