Big Bob was the first person through the shop door the following morning. He boomed out, “Good morning to you both! How are you this fine Wednesday morning?”
Frankie jerked his thumb towards Grace and said, “She won’t let me drive her car.”
Grace tutted. He sounded like a child. Big Bob must have thought so too, he said, “It’s Grace’s car, for her only. You could always get your own car. Anyway, I thought you liked that van of yours. What did you say about it? That women are always impressed with how big it is.”
Grace snorted. There was a variety of noises coming from her this morning. She made a gagging noise as Frankie smugly said, “Yeah, that’s right. And of course, there’s more room in the back of a van than a car. If you know what I mean.”
Big Bob gave him a stern look and said, “I do know what you mean. Please don’t talk like that in front of your sister. And I hope to goodness that you don’t take any young ladies into the back of your van.”
Frankie’s smile dropped. He sighed and said, “They keep saying no.”
Big Bob shook his head. He turned to Grace. “I’ve got my bank details but there’s no rush for the money. I’m pleased that you like the car. Frankie said you’ve been driving it a lot.”
Grace smiled. “I have, I love it. Are you sure the price is right? It seems low to me.”
“It’s a family price, I consider you part of my family. My brother knew your dad too, he wouldn’t dream of taking a higher price.”
“Tell him thank you,” Grace said. She took the piece of paper from Big Bob. She turned to Frankie and said, “And thank you to you, for the car money. I do appreciate it, and, if you want, I’ll let you drive my car.”
Frankie shrugged and said, “Whatever. I don’t think I want to now.”
Big Bob burst out laughing. “Frankie Abrahams! You’re such a child, don’t ever change.”
Frankie frowned, then he smiled and said, “Thanks.”
Big Bob stayed for a cup of tea and a catch up. It was lovely to have him near, almost like having their dad back. Grace sighed. Not Dad exactly, maybe a kindly uncle. Anyway, it was nice to have someone care about them.
Grace went to the bank at lunch-time to transfer the money to Big Bob’s account. Whilst the bank assistant was transferring the money Grace asked him, “I’ve got my mortgage with you. Is it possible for anyone to look at my details, to see if I’m up to date with my payments?”
The assistant froze. “What do you mean? Has your identity been stolen?” His voice rose. “Do you need to report it? I’ve got a form.”
“No, it’s just that I was talking to someone recently, about something, and they said they’d checked my mortgage payments.”
The assistant stood up, panic on his face. “Has your account been hacked? Did you install our recommended security software? Has this happened to anyone else? I’ll have to let my manager know!”
Grace shook her head. “No! Please, calm down. Nothing like that has happened. I want to know if an outside company can check my details, is it easy to do?”
The assistant wiped his brow. “Only if they’re criminals! Who have you been talking to? We pride ourselves on our security!”
It took a few more minutes for Grace to convince the sweating man she hadn’t done anything wrong, and that she’d never give her bank details out. He still didn’t seem convinced as he completed the money transfer.
Grace knew for sure that Julianne and Carlos had obtained her information illegally. But how could she prove it?
Grace decided to call on Abbie’s dad, Derek, on the way home from work. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say.
An idea came to her as she pulled up outside Derek’s house. She’d show him the book, tell him where it came from, and see if he could tell her anything about it. She didn’t want to give it to him as it would mean she couldn’t see Abbie any more. She looked over at Abbie, she was staring out of the window, her arms folded. She’d barely spoken to Grace all day, how was she going to react when she saw her dad up close?
Grace soon realised that she should have been more bothered about how Derek would react when he saw the driving book.
Chapter 19
Derek Quill opened his door and looked at the book Grace was holding. He clutched his chest and fell to the floor.
“Dad! Grace! What’s happening?” Abbie cried out.
“I don’t know! I think it was the shock of seeing the book!” Grace rushed into Derek’s house and crouched at his side. He was taking deep breaths.
Grace said, “Mr Quill, are you all right? Shall I get a doctor? An ambulance?”
Derek shook his head and held up a finger as if to indicate to give him a minute. After a few moments the colour returned to his face and his breathing returned to normal. He smiled at Grace and said, “I bet I gave you a fright then, young lady. I’m sorry, my heart isn’t what it used to be. Would you mind helping me to my feet?”
Grace did so, Abbie fluttered at her side. “Poor Dad! Is he okay? He looks so old and frail!”
Grace led Derek into a nearby room and sat him on a comfy-looking chair. She said, “Shall I make you a tea? A strong one with lots of sugar?”
Derek nodded. “That would be grand, although it should be me making the tea. The kitchen’s through that way, do make one for yourself. Would you mind if I looked at that book? I give my word that I won’t collapse again!”
Grace handed the book over and left the room. Abbie knelt at the side of Derek’s chair, love shining from her eyes.
Grace returned shortly with two cups of tea. Derek invited her to sit opposite him. He raised the book and said, “Tell me again about this. You said something when I opened the door to you, but I can’t quite remember what it was.”
Grace explained about finding the book in a storage unit. She pointed out that Abbie’s name was written inside. “I did some research on the Internet, Abbie Quill isn’t a common name, and I found out what happened to her. I hope you don’t mind me coming to see you. I’ve been to a lot of storage auctions and sometimes items are in there by mistake, or people forget that they’ve put them in storage.”
Derek frowned, “Well, that is a mystery, isn’t it? I wonder how this made it into one of those storage locker things. When Abbie died, me and the wife went through her belongings. Dorothy, that’s my wife, must have given this away to charity. Although, if that’s the case, I’m most surprised. Dorothy kept all of Abbie’s treasured things.” He waved the book in the air. “And this was the most treasured! She was determined to pass that blooming driving test! She had me asking her questions all the time. I think she felt guilty that I was paying half towards the cost of the lessons. I didn’t mind at all, that’s what parents do, isn’t it?”
“I think I’ve got the same driving company, a card fell out of the book with their details on. I hadn’t driven a car for a while and I needed a refresher lesson,” Grace admitted.
Derek nodded. “Ted and Kath Fairway’s driving school? They’re the best. We were lucky to get Abbie in with them. The poor girl, every time she had a driving test she seemed to forget half of what she’d been taught. It must have been nerves.”
“I can understand that,” Grace said.
Derek held the book out, “You must keep this, it sounds like it could be useful to you.”
“Are you sure?” Grace asked. She hadn’t wanted to give the book to Derek, but she would have parted with it if he’d wanted it.
“Take it, I insist.”
Grace took the book and put it in her handbag.
Abbie said, “He mentioned Mum. Where is she? Is she upstairs? Get her to come down.”
Grace could hardly make that request. She looked around the room. “Is that Abbie? She’s very pretty.”
Derek nodded. “Taken on her eighteenth birthday. Me and Dorothy kept telling her how beautiful she was but she wouldn’t listen. She said she’d never be as pretty as her sister.”
Grace press
ed her lips together. That was probably Brooke’s influence.
Derek waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, I’m sure you don’t want to listen to me going on about Abbie. You probably have a party to go to, a disco or rave, whatever they call them nowadays.”
Grace smiled at him. “I’ve nowhere to go. And I would love to hear about Abbie, it would be nice to hear more about the owner of this book. Please, do carry on.”
Derek chuckled. “You have been warned! We might need more tea.”
Derek told her about how he and Dorothy couldn’t have children. “We looked into adoption. Oh! It took forever for us to be given a child. I was in my late thirties when Julianne came into our family. Dorothy was a few years younger than me. There’s a photo of Julianne over there.”
Grace nodded. She knew what Julianne looked like.
Derek continued, “We were overjoyed. We did want a baby, everyone does, but Julianne was five years old when she came to us. Her natural mother had abandoned her. Isn’t that awful? She was worried that we’d do the same, we had to constantly reassure her that she was ours for good. I think she still worries about being abandoned. It hit her hard when Abbie came along ten years later but we made sure that she knew she was still wanted by us and we loved her just as much as ever.”
Derek looked at the photos on the wall and smiled. “Being a dad in my late thirties was bad enough, but being one in my late forties was even worse! The late nights and endless feeding! Not a job for an old man.” He looked directly at Grace and said, “I’d do it all again tomorrow.”
“How did Dorothy feel about having a child so late in life?”
“Shocked at first, relived that she wasn’t putting on weight for no reason, and then utterly delighted. I’d swear that she started looking younger. She had far more energy than me!”
Abbie stood up and began to wring her hands. “Where’s Mum? He keeps talking about her as if she’s dead! Where is she?”
Grace cleared her throat. “Could I ask where Dorothy is? Are you expecting her home soon?”
Derek slumped into the chair, it was like a light had been turned off.
Grace called out, “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Derek gave a slow shake of his head. “Poor Dorothy. I will tell you about her, forgive me if I cry.”
Chapter 20
Derek began, “Dorothy always treated the girls the same, like they were both her natural daughters. In fact, she was a bit tougher with Abbie, as if she had to compensate for the time that Abbie had spent inside her. Dorothy didn’t want to make Julianne jealous of Abbie. Dorothy sometimes gave in to Julianne when she shouldn’t have. She didn’t even mind when Julianne went on holiday and brought a boyfriend back with her, a young chap called Carlos. Dorothy was happy that our family had got bigger. She was such a kind soul.”
Was? Grace registered the word. Abbie stiffened at her side.
Derek wiped away a tear as he continued. “When Abbie died it was like Dorothy died too. She was hysterical for days, shouting out that Abbie had been murdered. We tried to tell her that it was a hit-and-run driver. She wouldn’t listen. The doctor had to give her medication to calm her down. She couldn’t cope with the loss. She went to psychic after psychic trying to contact Abbie. She forgot to look after herself, forgot to eat. I had to keep an eye on her constantly.
“When we first got wed we made an agreement. We said that if one of us lost our minds we’d make sure that person would be put in a place where they would be looked after. We said that the other person should not be expected to carry the burden of a sick spouse. I often thought of those words in the early days following Abbie’s death, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lose Abbie, and Dorothy too. I’d retired soon after Abbie died, so I had time on my hands. I did the best I could.” He shook his head sadly, a tear trickled down the side of his nose. “I did put her in a home eventually. I had to. She was becoming a danger to herself. Kept going on about Abbie being murdered. She kept humming a song over and over again. It was Julianne who persuaded me to do it. I had some money in savings to pay for Dorothy’s care, but I’ll have to go back to work soon as it’s running out. Julianne is going to help me sell this house. She set up a company with Carlos after Abbie died, I gave her some money to help get things running. That Carlos chap says he’ll give me a good price for my house, and I’ll be able to stay here and rent. That’s so considerate of him, isn’t it?”
“Hmm,” Grace muttered. Why was Dorothy insistent that Abbie had been murdered? Had she seen something on that night? Grace looked at Derek, he was weeping openly now. She passed him a tissue. She couldn’t push him for any more information at the moment.
Derek smiled and wiped his eyes. “Sorry, I’m a sentimental old fool. Thank you for listening to me, it helps to talk about it. Poor Dorothy, she’s happy in that home. I visit her several times a week. I could swear sometimes that she has moments of clarity, she looks like my old Dorothy. She keeps telling me to look into Abbie’s death. She says Abbie’s spirit won’t rest until I do.”
Abbie jumped up. “Grace! We have to see her! We have to see Mum!”
Grace agreed. But she couldn’t just ask Derek for details of where she now resided.
She didn’t need to. Derek said, “I know this is an imposition, but would you mind going to see Dorothy with me next time I go? She’d love to see that book. You could tell her where you found it, she’d be amazed. There’s also the chance that she’ll sit there saying nothing.”
“I’d love to go,” Grace began. “When should ...”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Julianne burst into the room, followed by a grim-faced Carlos.
Julianne pointed at Grace and hissed, “I thought that was your car outside. What are you up to? You’re not in financial trouble at all, we checked. What are you talking about with Dad? Who do you work for?” She turned to Derek. “What’s she been saying? Has she been talking about my house business?”
Derek’s eyebrows rose. “We’re having a nice chat, that’s all. Why are you shouting, Julianne? That’s not very polite.” Derek looked at Grace and said, “I’m very sorry about this, Miss ...? I didn’t get your name, I think you told me at the door but ...”
Julianne smirked at Grace. “I know her name. Wait until you hear this, Dad. It’s Ms Abrahams, Grace Abrahams.”
Derek’s hands flew to his chest, just like they had done before. He stammered, “No, no, that can’t be true.”
Grace was roughly pulled to her feet by Carlos. He marched her out of the room and pushed her through the open front door. He stepped out after her and pulled the door close. He was so close that Grace could smell his coffee-breath. She tried to take a step backwards but Carlos clutched her arm tightly.
He looked straight into her eyes and snarled, “We know all about you and your money situation. I don’t care what you’re up to, or who you work for. Keep away from me and my family, you hear me?”
Grace pulled her arm free. She’d been threatened by scarier people than Carlos. She said, “I know what you and Julianne are up to. I’m going to make a formal complaint about your company. The way you treat people is disgusting!”
Carlos gave her a slow smile. “You do that, Grace, and your brother will be involved in a car accident – just like your parents. Or maybe you will be in an accident, maybe driving that car of yours, or maybe crossing the road. Accidents happen.” He gave a mirthless laugh and went back into the house.
Grace was too shocked to speak for a moment. Would he really hurt Frankie? He seemed nasty enough to. She turned to Abbie, she had witnessed the whole thing. She expected Abbie to be as shocked as she was.
Abbie let out a heavy sigh. “Why did you do that? You’ve upset Carlos now.”
Chapter 21
Grace didn’t speak to Abbie on the drive home. She was annoyed with Abbie for reprimanding her over the Carlos incident. Carlos had been threatening Grace, but it seemed that Abb
ie couldn’t see that. Was there some history between the two of them?
Abbie stared out of the window all the way back to Grace’s house. Once inside she flung herself onto the sofa and pulled her knees up to her chest. Grace politely smiled and headed to the kitchen. She couldn’t work Abbie out, she was moody, that was obvious. But why was she so moody? Was that how she was when she was alive, or had it something to do with her death? It helped when a ghost spoke about their death but Grace felt like Abbie was trying her best not to think about it. It was almost like she was hiding something.
Grace opened the freezer and took out a portion of chicken curry that she’d made the previous week. As she put it in the oven an idea came to her. She returned to the living room and brightly said, “I think we should try going into a vision again.”
“No!” Abbie jumped up. “No! It was scary! I didn’t like it! They wouldn’t stop the car!”
Grace sat down and pulled her laptop towards her. “I know but there’s something I wanted to check. Hang on a minute, let me get the right page.” Grace tapped away. Abbie scrunched her top with her fists nervously.
“A-ha! Thought so. I haven’t been past The Old Highway Man pub for a while. The car park is at the front.”
Abbie lowered herself next to Grace. “So?”
“So, if we go into the vision we could turn around and see whose car is missing, or if someone drives from the car park as you come out of the pub.”
Abbie didn’t look convinced. Grace continued, “We know from which direction the car is coming from, I could try and get a registration number. It slowed down, didn’t it?”
Abbie nodded. “The driver lifted a hand to me. Oh! I wish I could see their face! Why can’t I remember?”
“The memory could be too painful, you could be trying to protect yourself.” A pause. “Well, Abbie, what do you think? Are you willing to go into a vision again? We really don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I understand.”
A Deadly Lesson (Storage Ghost Murders Book 5) Page 7