by D. S. Butler
Grandma Grant was right at the back, leaning over a very large plant pot and muttering something to herself.
There was a large, brown, leather-bound book open on the trestle table, covered with flecks of compost.
I frowned. Jess had been right. She was up to something.
“Grandma?”
Grandma Grant straightened up and whirled around with a speed that made me jump.
“What are you doing here? Are you spying on me?”
Grandma Grant’s cat, Athena, appeared out of nowhere and wound herself around my legs. As grumpy and cantankerous as Grandma Grant could be with people, she was a pushover when it came to Athena. She was always sneaking the cat little treats when she thought Jess and I weren’t looking.
I shifted the box of carrot cake under my arm. “I’m not spying. I’m simply saying hello. You asked us for dinner remember.”
Grandma Grant walked towards me briskly, narrowing her eyes and slapping her hands together to rid them of the compost.
“Well, you’re early.”
“Nice to see you, too. There’s nothing like a warm welcome,” I muttered as I leaned down to pet Athena. “What were you doing in there anyway?”
Grandma Grant looked up at me shiftily. She was definitely hiding something. “It’s a greenhouse. I was growing plants, what do you think I was doing?”
I frowned. That may have sounded reasonable to anyone who didn’t actually know Grandma Grant. The fact was, she was always up to something. When she acted defensively like this, it usually meant she was planning something she shouldn’t be.
Jess and I both had suspicions that Grandma cast spells on her plants. Her pumpkins won prizes at the festival every year, and people came from miles around to buy plants from the nursery.
“I hope you weren’t using spells on the plants,” I said, trying to look over her shoulder.
Grandma’s face took on a wounded look. “I can’t believe you would suggest such a thing.”
“You have won best in show for your pumpkins ten years in a row.”
“I have a green thumb.”
She put her hands on my shoulders and led me away from the greenhouse. “Anyway,” she said and nodded at the box I was carrying. “Have you brought cake? I hope you didn’t make it.”
Charming.
As witches, we were all skilled in some areas, but none of us were very good cooks. Grandma was probably the best out of all of us. At least, she managed not to burn everything.
“It’s carrot cake,” I said. “Sarah baked it.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Grandma said.
She was trying to divert attention by changing the subject. It was the oldest trick in the book, and I hadn’t put up with her mischief-making for the past five years without getting to know some of her tricks.
“Don’t change the subject. What were you up to in there?”
Grandma turned to me, with her practiced innocent expression. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Come on. Since you’re here, we’d better get up to the house so I can make a start on dinner.”
I may have suspected Grandma of using spells, but I couldn’t prove it, I knew better than to push the point and accuse her directly until I had more evidence.
“If you’re looking for someone to cast a spell on, I wish you would put one on Elizabeth Naggington to make her less obnoxious. There must be some sort of anti-moaning spell you could use,” I complained as we walked up to the house.
“That wouldn’t be proper, Harper. You know witches are supposed to use their powers for good, and only in important situations.”
“And is growing the best plants really an important use of a spell?”
Grandma Grant gave me a warning look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
In the kitchen, Grandma Grant started mashing potatoes, and I prepared some green beans. We’d almost finished when Jess joined us.
She put the large book of spells down on the kitchen counter, and Grandma Grant seemed very impressed, hurrying over to take a look. I knew I’d lost them both now. Once they started talking spells, they could be at it for hours.
“I guess I’ll finish up here then?” I said taking the gravy off the heat and rolling my eyes when they both ignored me.
We sat at the kitchen table to eat dinner. Despite the fact the Grant family home was huge, with a grand old-fashioned dining room, Grandma Grant only used a couple of the rooms regularly.
I served up dinner and listened to them chatter away about some special new spells. Spells are not my thing, and I’d soon lost track of the conversation.
When they finally paused for breath, I tried to change the subject.
“Are you contributing anything to the festival this year Grandma, aside from your pumpkins?”
Grandma looked up and nodded. “I’m running the cotton candy stall this year.”
I smirked, imagining Grandma Grant trying to control the sticky, fluffy sticks of sugar.
I thought, all things considered, I’d gotten off very easily. I was obviously not Elizabeth Naggington’s favorite person today, and I doubted she would be calling on me to force me to run one of the stalls tomorrow. It looked like I’d escaped that honor.
But Grandma narrowed her eyes and looked at me. “Don’t look so smug, Harper. She called in this afternoon to leave you a note. You’re looking after the children’s bouncy castle tomorrow.”
The smile slid from my face. The children’s bouncy castle? Ugh, I really hated Elizabeth Naggington.
Chapter Five
The day of the festival dawned bright but chilly. Jess and I both layered up, wearing two sweaters each.
We headed for Grandma’s so we could walk down together. We only lived ten minutes’ walk from the center of town, and the festival was being held on the school playing field.
The field was almost full already when we got there. Everyone seemed reluctant to be there. It was such a shame.
I remembered a few years back, when Elizabeth Naggington wasn’t in charge, this was something that people looked forward to — a celebration of the community, but since Elizabeth had gotten involved, a couple of years ago, no one seemed to have fun anymore.
“Seriously, there must be some kind of spell you could use,” I muttered to Grandma Grant and Jess as we trudged across the field towards the stalls.
“That’s cheating,” Grandma Grant said sharply. “Besides, think of all the fun you’ll have with all those lovely children. Say, isn’t that little Tommy Breton?”
I turned to see a line of children at the bouncy castle, at the front of the queue was the notorious Tommy Breton, the human equivalent of the Tasmanian devil.
I sighed.
Mrs. Townsend, who was manning the bric-a-brac stall waved to us as we passed.
Archie stood in front of the circle of stalls, looking far too cheerful, as he called for customers for his apple bobbing.
He had a sack of apples by his feet and added some more to the water-filled barrel as we walked past. “Roll up, Roll up. Come and chance your luck at the apple bobbing! Spectacular prizes to be won.”
I couldn’t see any prizes, spectacular or otherwise. I had a feeling Archie was exaggerating.
Unsurprisingly, there weren’t too many customers willing to dunk their heads in the cold water this morning.
Standing beside Archie, Sarah, the chef at the diner, looked thoroughly miserable.
“Ready, Sarah?” Archie said cheerfully slapping her on the shoulder.
Sarah nodded apprehensively and stepped up to the barrel.
He’d obviously coerced Sarah into it. It was a bit harsh, since Archie was Sarah’s boss, so she couldn’t really say no. Still, I was glad he hadn’t roped me into it, and I slipped quietly past them, heading towards the bouncy castle.
I was almost there when I heard a bloodcurdling scream.
I, along with everybody else in the field, turned to see what had happened.
Wat
er was dripping from Sarah’s face. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead.
Archie’s face was pinched and white, and his eyes were wide.
I began to feel tingles…something was terribly wrong.
I walked back over to them. “What is it?”
“In there…” Archie pointed at the barrel.
I frowned and stepped closer, putting my hands on the edge as I peered down, and then wished I hadn’t.
Elizabeth Naggington’s face was staring up at me from the depths of the barrel.
Chapter Six
“Quiet, people! Quiet. Can I have your attention please?” Chief Wickham stood in the middle of the field and tried to calm everyone down.
He was supposed to be the judge of the pumpkin competition today. He still wore a smiley sticker on his plaid shirt, declaring him a judge.
Grandma Grant was at my side and whispered in my ear. “Do you think he’s still going to judge the best pumpkin?”
I shot her a look of disbelief. “I think he’s got bigger things on his mind than that.”
She widened her eyes and tried to look innocent. “What? I was just asking. I put a lot of effort into growing those pumpkins.”
“I’d like everyone to stick around, and either myself or Joe will have a word with everyone,” Chief Wickham said, and then he broke off to talk to poor Sarah, who was absolutely distraught.
Jess joined us and said in a low voice, so no one else would hear, “Have you seen the ghost yet?”
I shook my head. I’d been keeping an eye out, but I hadn’t seen any sign of Elizabeth’s ghost. Of course, she may have already passed over, but usually, I would have spotted something.
“Perhaps she didn’t die here,” Grandma Grant said, meaningfully. “The killer could have murdered her somewhere else and then dumped her in the barrel.”
Jess shivered, and I looked around the crowd suspiciously. Was somebody here really a murderer? It seemed unlikely that Elizabeth could have climbed into the barrel and drowned herself.
“Can I have a word, ladies?” Joe’s deep voice rumbled, and we all jumped.
We looked far from innocent as we turned around to face him.
I tried to smile at him brightly so he wouldn’t think I was trying to hide anything. Of course, smiling brightly when a dead body had been found a few feet away from me, probably wasn’t the best idea if I was trying to avoid raising his suspicions.
He frowned as he looked at the grin plastered on my face.
“Did you know the deceased?” Joe asked.
“Of course we did,” Grandma Grant said impatiently. “Everybody knew Elizabeth Naggington.”
Joe nodded and wrote a comment in his notepad.
“What time did you get here today?”
“We’d only just arrived,” Jess said.
Joe nodded, but he didn’t make another note in his book. Instead, he looked straight at me.
His piercing blue eyes were very disconcerting. I had a strong feeling he didn’t trust us.
“And did you all arrive together?”
I nodded, and Jess said, “That’s right. Harper and I called in for Grandma Grant on the way down.”
“Did you see anything suspicious?”
We all shook our heads.
It was then I saw her. Right at the worst possible moment. The ghost of Elizabeth Naggington was hovering over Joe’s shoulder.
I gasped, and then tried to cover my reaction with a cough. It didn’t work. Joe looked at me as if I’d grown two heads.
I groaned as Elizabeth drifted away. I could hardly make a run for it and chase after her when Joe was in the middle of questioning us.
“I’m sorry, Miss Grant,” Joe said to me. “Am I keeping you from something?”
I was desperately looking over his shoulder, trying to see where Elizabeth had gone. It must have seemed quite rude.
I shook my head. “Sorry, no.”
By now, even Grandma Grant and Jess were looking at me with puzzled frowns on their faces.
Joe finally tapped his pen on his pad and frowned. “Okay. That’ll be all for now. Can I take your address, in case we need to question you further?”
Grandma waved a hand at him. “There’s no need for that. Chief Wickham knows where we live.” And with that, she bustled off, leaving Joe before he could contradict her.
“Sorry, about that,” I said, desperate to stop him thinking our family was totally crazy.
I gave him our address, and he nodded slowly before walking off, but not without looking back at us suspiciously a couple of times.
“Crap,” I said to Jess. “He thinks we’re a family of nutjobs.”
“Well, you didn’t exactly help by gasping out like that in the middle of his questioning. What was all that about?”
“Elizabeth,” I said miserably. “I saw her passing by just as Joe was starting to ask us questions, but I could hardly run off in the middle of it, could I?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“I’d better go and look for her.”
I had to put Joe out of my mind. I needed to find Elizabeth fast. Hopefully, she could tell us who had killed her, and we could put an end to all this.
Chapter Seven
Jess left me to look for Elizabeth alone. She couldn’t exactly help since she didn’t see ghosts, so I was better off looking on my own.
I made a circuit of all the stalls first. The tables had been set out in a semicircle. As I walked, I scanned the crowds of locals for any sign of Elizabeth.
Sometimes, it was possible to confuse a ghost for a real person. In certain lights, they would appear almost see-through. Other times, they could look as real as you or me.
I’d been looking for twenty minutes or so, and I was starting to despair of ever finding Elizabeth. I decided to have a quick look under one of the stalls. The bric-a-brac stall had a large, lace tablecloth draped over it, so I lifted it up and peered underneath.
I’m not really sure why I thought Elizabeth might be hiding under there, but I soon regretted looking. When I dropped the tablecloth and started to straighten, I saw a pair of black boots in front of me. I cringed. I knew who they belonged to even before I looked up.
Honestly, if he didn’t already think I was a complete nutcase, he definitely would now.
My eyes traveled slowly upwards taking in the blue jeans that fitted snugly around his legs and then up his broad chest until finally my gaze rested on that handsome face.
Unfortunately right now, that handsome face was creased with a frown.
“Looking for something, Miss Grant?”
I don’t react well when flustered, and I was definitely flustered at that moment.
“I, um… I lost an earring. I was just looking for it.”
Joe’s frown deepened, and then he reached out a hand, gently touching the side of my face, and tilted my head to one side. “You seem to have both earrings in at the moment.”
“I… I…” I stammered, dismissing the warm tingles that traveled over my body as some sort of witchy sense, a reaction to some bad energy in the air. I was sure it had nothing at all to do with the proximity of the dazzlingly handsome Joe McGrady.
My hand flew to my little gold earrings.
“Silly me,” I said, grinning cheerfully, while inside I was groaning at my ridiculous behavior.
I blushed furiously as I stepped past Joe and walked on.
I’d pretty much given up on finding Elizabeth and had decided to head back home when I caught sight of her again.
She was standing beside Mrs. Townsend and chatting away. Mrs. Townsend didn’t flinch or respond, clearly because she couldn’t even see Elizabeth, let alone hear her.
I chewed on my lower lip for a second, hesitating. Elizabeth Naggington terrified me in real life, and as a ghost, I didn’t think she was going to be any less formidable.
I stepped up to them and cleared my throat.
“Mrs. Townsend, Chief Wickham was just asking for you
. He’s over by the inflatable castle if you’d like to go and see him.”
Mrs. Townsend nodded. “Thank you, Harper. It’s a terrible business,” she said as she walked off.
“How rude!” Elizabeth Naggington exclaimed. “We were in the middle of a conversation, Harper Grant. Did no one ever teach you any manners? Of course, I really couldn’t expect better, with a grandmother like yours to lead you an example.”
I felt my blood boil, and I was severely tempted to flounce off and leave her to deal with her new life as a ghost all on her own. But I managed to control my temper.
“Elizabeth,” I whispered, hoping nobody else would overhear us. “I need to talk to you. It’s terribly important. Could you meet me behind the vegetable tent?” I said, nodding towards the tent that held all the pumpkins that would now probably never be judged.
“Well, I never,” Elizabeth Naggington said, haughtily.
She floated along beside me as I walked over to the vegetable tent. When I was sure we were hidden behind the large white tarpaulin, I turned to Elizabeth and braced myself.
“Elizabeth, you need to listen to me.”
“I need to do no such thing. Something very strange is going on out there. A body has been found in a barrel. It’s quite extraordinary. I can’t waste my time here talking to you. I need to go and find out what’s happened.”
As Elizabeth began to float off, I reached out my hand.
Unfortunately, you can’t actually touch a ghost, so my hand just went right through her.
Elizabeth did a double take and then stared fiercely at me. “What did you just do?”
“Elizabeth, I need to speak to you about the body in the barrel.”
“What about it?”
Elizabeth clearly had no idea she was a ghost. This was majorly awkward.
There was nothing for it. I just had to come out with the truth.
“It was your body in the barrel, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. “What are you going on about, Harper? You really are a very strange young woman.”
I ignored Elizabeth’s insults. This couldn’t be an easy transition for her, and I was determined to be as understanding as I could in the circumstances.