by D. S. Butler
“Aha, then what do you call this?” I proudly held aloft the cheese wrapper I’d found in the trash.
Joe McGrady took a step closer to me and frowned as he looked at the object in my hand. “Is that… a piece of Cheddar?”
I bit down on my lip. It had seemed a lot more convincing a minute ago. Joe looked at me up and down as if I was totally crazy.
I was determined not to let him intimidate me.
“Yes,” I said, not allowing him to pour cold water on my theory. I elaborated, “Cheese like this could be cut with cheese wire. Do you see where I’m going with this?” I waggled my eyebrows meaningfully.
Joe didn’t reply.
“Don’t you see?”
Joe frowned and looked at me as if I was indeed off my rocker, as Grandma Grant would say.
“No, Harper. I don’t see.”
He pointed at the wrapper in my hand. “Go and put that trash back, and I’ll take you home. We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
I shrugged. I suppose it could have been worse. At least he wasn’t taking me to the police station.
Reluctantly I put the cheese wrapper back in the trash and retied the trash bags, grimacing at the smell.
“I’m glad I don’t have to work trash collection,” I said. “It really stinks.”
“You don’t smell so hot yourself,” Joe McGrady said.
My jaw dropped open in shock. “That wasn’t a very gentlemanly thing to say!”
“I never claimed to be a gentleman, Harper,” he said and gave me a wink, making me blush again, but this time for a different reason.
Elizabeth chuckled beside me. She was enjoying this far too much.
Chapter Nineteen
“Well, are you going to tell me what you did last night?”
My spoon hovered over my cereal as I’d been just about to take a bite.
I dropped the spoon back into my bowl, splashing the milk.
“Last night? What makes you think anything happened last night?” I said.
I knew I was acting suspiciously. I’d never been good at evading the truth, especially when it came to Jess’s questions. She was unusually perceptive.
Jess said nothing. She simply tilted her head to the side and gave me a look. I hated that look.
“Fine,” I said grumpily.
I knew it was futile trying to hide it from her. No doubt Joe would have told Chief Wickham, who would have told his wife, which meant it would be all over Abbott Cove by lunchtime, and Jess would find out anyway.
I shrugged. “It’s nothing really. No big deal. I just went out last night to do a little bit of investigating, and Joe McGrady caught me.”
Jess’s eyes widened. “A little bit of investigating! Harper, what did you do? If Chief Wickham finds out you’ve been interfering in his investigation, especially when it’s the only murder we’ve had in the town since records began, he’s going to be furious.”
“Thanks for that,” I said, deadpan.
I could always rely on Jess to make me feel better. Not.
“I wasn’t exactly interfering anyway,” I said. “I figured since no one believed that Robert Jr was hiding something, I’d look for a little evidence myself. It’s not like I broke into their house. I just went through the trash.”
Jess balked. “You went through their trash? Yuk.”
“Yes, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. And then Joe found me elbow deep in fish bones. It wasn’t my finest hour.”
“And you’re upset because you think Joe won’t like you anymore?”
“What? No, of course not. I don’t give two figs about what Joe thinks of me.”
Jess gave me a knowing look and grinned. “Of course you don’t, Harper.”
I glared at her as I took a mouthful of cereal.
“Did you find any evidence?” Jess asked.
“No, of course, she didn’t. The very idea that Robert Jr could be involved in my murder is just ridiculous,” Elizabeth said, appearing out of nowhere.
“He was definitely hiding something.” I turned and looked at the spot where Elizabeth was hovering over my shoulder. “I just wanted to find out what it was.”
Jess looked through Elizabeth. “I take it Elizabeth is back?”
I nodded glumly, although I was pleased she was back and safe.
“Yes, I am here. So you can stop talking about me behind my back.”
I sighed. “Jess isn’t talking about you behind your back, Elizabeth. She wants to help just as much as I do.”
Jess pulled a face.
“Well, you’re investigations last night didn’t get very far, so what are we going to do now?” Elizabeth asked.
Good question. I had no idea what to do next.
I guessed the main thing I had to deal with this morning was Joe. I’d worried all night about what he would tell Chief Wickham.
He told me we would discuss it in the morning, so I was expecting a phone call at any moment to send me to my doom.
After we’d finished breakfast and I was washing dishes, Grandma Grant burst into the cottage.
“Harper!” She yelled, and I cringed.
I guessed she’d heard what I’d gotten up to last night.
I wiped my hands on a towel and walked slowly out of the kitchen like someone condemned to meet her fate.
Grandma Grant was staring at me as if I was the most irritating person in the world. She looked mad, but not head-exploding mad, which was good.
I put two and two together and guessed that she hadn’t yet heard from Joe McGrady or Chief Wickham.
“Do you two not answer your phones? Archie has been trying to get hold of you, Harper. He’s called me twice already this morning.”
I frowned. “I’m not supposed to go back to work until this afternoon. My shift doesn’t start until two.”
“I don’t know about that. I just know Archie is trying to get hold of you, and I’m not your personal answering service.”
“Okay,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. When dealing with Grandma Grant, it was easier to go along with her most of the time.
I went into my bedroom and picked up my cell phone. I’d forgotten I’d put it on silent last night. It was a new phone, and for some reason, it pinged every time I got a new notification. Every time I got an email, it woke me up.
I dialed Archie’s number, and he answered the phone after a couple of rings.
“Harper, can you get down here now?”
I could hear the normal bustling sounds of the diner in the background.
“Yes,” I said, “But my shift doesn’t start until this afternoon, does it?”
“I know, but I need you to come in, and — Oh no, that’s all I need. Tommy Breton is back, and he’s bound to make his usual awful mess. I’d better go. See you soon,” Archie said, and then he hung up.
I stared down at the phone. No apologies for sending me home early in disgrace yesterday, I thought huffily.
Only a second later, the phone rang again. It was Archie again. “Sorry, I forgot to say Chief Wickham is here, and he wants to talk to you.”
Before I could ask Archie to elaborate, he’d hung up again.
I bit my lip, feeling sick as I imagined Chief Wickham tearing strips off me.
But then again, if the chief wanted to see me at the diner and not the station, maybe he wasn’t going to tell me off.
Perhaps Chief Wickham wasn’t annoyed I’d been investigating on my own. Maybe he thought my suspicions were correct.
I smiled, carried away by my daydream, imagining the chief putting Joe McGrady in his place and making Archie apologize for not believing me.
I combed my hair, put on my coat and then set out towards the diner with Elizabeth hovering by my side.
As we walked, I turned to her and said, “I’m glad you’ve forgiven me, and you can see that I’m only trying to help you.”
Elizabeth gave me a sideways look. “I’m still not happy with you, Harper. But as n
o one else can see me, I don’t really have much choice.”
Charming.
Chapter Twenty
When I arrived at the diner, Robert Jr, Joe McGrady and Chief Wickham were sitting in a booth.
I swallowed hard. That didn’t quite fit in with my daydreams. I had a strong feeling I wasn’t going to be getting any pats on the back. I was far more likely to be in for a stern ticking off.
I hesitated beside the coat hooks and watched them. They hadn’t yet noticed I’d arrived. Joe and the chief sat on one side of the table facing Robert Jr, who was fiddling with the salt shaker nervously. He pushed back his shirt sleeves.
Joe leaned his large frame back in the seat. He looked brawny compared to Robert Jr, who despite his generous girth, had unusually thin, spindly arms.
The chief had an empty plate in front of him, and he shifted back to loosen his belt slightly. Both Joe and Chief Wickham were studying Robert Jr closely and listening to Robert talk.
I couldn’t hear their conversation from where I stood, and I couldn’t hide there all day. I needed to get it over with. I took a deep breath and hung up my coat and purse.
Then I saw Archie bustling out of the kitchen, holding two plates stacked with pancakes.
He nodded in the chief’s direction, letting me know in no uncertain terms he wanted to see me.
I chewed on a thumbnail nervously, and then when I realized I had fallen back into the habit of biting my nails, something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager, I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked towards them.
The chief was the first to see me. “Ah, Harper, I heard there was a little bit of a scene here in the diner yesterday?”
I took a shaky breath and nodded, bracing myself for a telling off. I cringed, waiting for Chief Wickham to mention the trash last night, but instead he gestured for me to sit down next to Robert Jr.
I did so nervously and caught Joe McGrady’s eye.
He didn’t look angry. He even smiled at me a little reassuringly.
“It’s okay, Harper,” Joe said. “We’ve found out what was behind Robert Jr’s suspicious behavior.”
“You have?” I turned to Robert in surprise.
Robert Jr was looking even paler than usual. He had a cup of untouched coffee in front of him, and he kept wringing his hands.
“I didn’t kill her. I could never do that. I loved my mother.”
I sensed Elizabeth moving behind me, but I didn’t dare turn around.
I glanced back at Chief Wickham and Joe to see if they believed Robert Jr because he sure looked twitchy to me.
“But you were right, Harper. I was hiding something,” Robert Jr said, his voice trembling.
Aha, I knew it!
Joe nodded encouragingly at Robert Jr, so he would finish his story.
“When you saw me the other day, I’d taken a couple of mother’s antique vases to sell to Maurice Flanagan.”
I frowned. Why was he trying to hide that? Surely, he would have inherited some of Elizabeth’s belongings anyway.
“So why were you hiding them under your coat?”
Chief Wickham supplied the answer as Robert Jr’s lower lip began to wobble, and he looked like he was in danger of bursting into tears yet again.
“Robert has a gambling debt. The vases in question were particularly valuable, and he sold them for quite a bit less than their market value to get some ready cash.”
“I’m so ashamed,” Robert sobbed beside me.
Finally, I dared to turn around and look at Elizabeth.
Who knew it was possible for a ghost to turn even paler? Elizabeth’s face was white.
I left Chief Wickham and Joe to deal with Robert Jr, as Elizabeth hovered in the corner of the diner, trying to process this new information. Learning her precious son was addicted to gambling had hit her hard.
I went to see Archie before I left, to tell him I’d see him for the afternoon shift.
“I’m sorry for sending you home like that yesterday, Harper,” Archie said, tucking his order pad into his apron and ringing up a bill on the till. “I just thought it was the best way to stop everyone flying off the handle.”
I shrugged and smiled. “It’s okay. You were in a difficult position. I see that now.”
When Sarah hollered out another order, Archie quickly rushed off, and I headed out of the diner.
I decided to call on my sister at the library. She’d get mad if I didn’t update her on the latest developments and she had to hear it from the town’s gossips.
Jess waved at me as soon as I walked in. There was a small group of kindergarten children in the children’s section making quite a racket. “I thought libraries were supposed to be quiet places.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Try telling that to a class full of kids under five.”
She gestured for me to come behind the counter as she stacked books onto a small wheeled trolley. “So, what did Archie want? Did he apologize?”
I nodded and filled Jess in on what had happened at the diner, telling her all about Robert Jr’s gambling addiction.
“So you were right about one thing,” Jess said. “He was hiding something.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t look like he’s the killer so I’m back to the drawing board.”
I picked up the top book on the stack — a book on cross-stitch. Why couldn’t I have a nice normal life and a hobby like that?
I sighed and put down the book. I wouldn’t have time for anything like that while I was so busy trying to help Elizabeth.
“Is Elizabeth with you?” Jess said and looked around the library as if she would be able to see her.
I shook my head. “I left her at the diner with Loretta. She’s taking the news that Robert Jr was addicted to gambling quite hard. Loretta will never admit it, but she’s enjoying having another ghost around even if it is Elizabeth Naggington.”
“What are you talking about?” I looked down and saw one of the small children had left the group and was now standing directly behind me.
“Er… nothing. Just grown up talk.”
The little girl wore her hair in plaits and stared up at me with an earnest expression. “You were talking about ghosts.”
I looked at Jess, desperate for help.
She clasped the little girl’s hand and led her back to the group of children sitting cross-legged on the floor.
The stress was making me careless. The last thing I needed was the town to find out I could see and talk to ghosts.
When Jess returned, she looked thoughtful. “So you don’t have any new suspects?”
I shook my head miserably. “Not even one, and I don’t have the first idea where to start. It’s looking more and more like Elizabeth Naggington could be here to stay.”
Jess reached out and patted my hand. “It’s early days, Harper. Chief Wickham and Joe McGrady will find out who did it, eventually. They must have left some evidence. There’s no such thing as a perfect crime. Maybe you should just leave it to the experts.”
I nodded. Jess was probably right. This whole business had caused me nothing but trouble since I’d started. Maybe I was better off supporting Elizabeth but leaving the investigating to the experts.
“Have you got the rest of the day off?” Jess asked.
I shook my head. “My shift starts at lunchtime, but I’m free for the rest of the morning.”
Jess smiled. “Good. Can you go and keep an eye on Grandma Grant? She was acting ever so strangely earlier when she came in here asking to look at my new spell book.”
I frowned. That was all I needed at the moment — Grandma Grant adding complications.
“What do you think she’s up to this time?”
“No idea,” Jess said. “But knowing Grandma Grant, it’s going to be pretty spectacular.”
I left Jess and headed up the hill to Grandma Grant’s house. I caught the leg of my jeans on some brambles poking out from the shrubs along the overgrown trail.
We’d been naggi
ng Grandma Grant to let us clear this section of path for ages. It was almost surrounded by a thicket, various plants twisted and wound themselves into a thick, green mass, like something out of a fairytale. But Grandma Grant said she liked it how it was. She said it stopped people wandering onto her property.
Halfway along the path, Elizabeth caught up with me, hovering slowly and looking very disappointed.
I felt bad for her. She’d built Robert Jr up in her mind to be the perfect son, and this had come as quite a blow.
“Now that Robert Jr’s problem is out in the open, he’ll be able to get some help,” I said. “Maybe this is a good thing.”
“A good thing?” Elizabeth looked at me incredulously. “Sometimes you say the strangest things, Harper.”
I was about to reply when suddenly I heard a large crack followed by a scream.
That sounded like Grandma Grant!
I took off at a run, jumping over tree roots and puddles until I burst into the opening. Panting for breath, I stared in horror at the greenhouse.
Outside, Grandma Grant’s cat, Athena, stood staring up at the sky. Her black hair on the back of her neck bristled as she meowed loudly.
I looked up.
A huge sunflower had broken through the roof and was now towering over the house.
And it was still growing…
I looked around desperately for Grandma Grant. “Grandma? Where are you?”
“Oh, my goodness,” Elizabeth said as she arrived by my side and looked up in disbelief at the huge sunflower towering above us. “Is it still growing? How is that even possible?”
I knew exactly how it was possible. Grandma Grant had cast a growing spell, and it had gone badly wrong.
I knew all about bad spells. I was quite an expert at them. That’s why I avoided them as much as I could.
I needed Jess, but it would take her too long to get here.
“Grandma!” I called again, heading towards the greenhouse, taking care not to tread on the splintered glass.
“In here, Harper, quick!” Grandma Grant’s voice came from inside the greenhouse.
I quickly burst in, imagining her caught beneath the stalk, or trapped somehow.