Second Hand Ghosts - The Final Bet (A Paranormal Mystery)

by Gillian Larkin

  Chapter 1

  “Sit down, Kate, we need to talk.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. I sat down opposite Rose and waited for her to continue.

  She pushed a cup of tea towards me.

  “Have a biscuit. I’ve got your favourite chocolate ones,” Rose smiled.

  Now I was getting worried. Chocolate biscuits were only for certain occasions – good news or bad news.

  My mouth felt dry. I picked up the cup and ignored the biscuits. I just knew Rose was going to fire me.

  “How long have you worked here now?” Rose asked.

  “Three years,” I said.

  “And do you like working here?” Rose said.

  I put the cup down. “I love it. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. You’re such a lovely boss, not like a boss at all. And you’re so understanding about the school holidays, and if Emily is ever sick you let me have time off. I love my job.”

  Rose laughed and held up her hand, “Calm down! I’m not going to fire you!”

  Phew!

  I reached for a biscuit and dunked it into my tea.

  Rose said, “I want you to take on more responsibilities. To be honest, Kate, I’m feeling tired and I need to take things a little easier.”

  I had noticed that Rose hadn’t been her usual energetic self recently.

  “I’ll do whatever you want me to, you know that,” I said. I put the soggy biscuit in my mouth and reached for another.

  Rose leaned forward. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening. I did the same, even though I knew it was just me and Rose sitting in the back room of the shop.

  Rose said, “I want you to keep an open mind. What I’m about to tell you is strange and you’ll probably think I’m crazy. But just listen to me.”

  She leaned even closer to me. I put the biscuit down at the side of my cup.

  “Not all the visitors to our shop are alive. Some of them are dead,” Rose said.

  “What do you mean dead? That they’re not living life fully? That they don’t look well? I know Mr Jones has had the flu recently and looks half dead,” I babbled on. I had a feeling that Rose was trying to tell me something that I didn’t want to know.

  Rose shook her head. “I mean they are actually dead, not alive. They’re ghosts. Some of the items that come into this shop have ghosts attached to them. Ghosts with unfinished business. And I help them. Do you think I’m crazy?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” I said. “How do you help the ghosts?”

  “I help them sort out whatever problems they have. And that’s the work that I need to hand over to you,” Rose said.

  “You want me to help ghosts?” I asked.

  Rose nodded, “What do you say?”

  Chapter 2

  I was too shocked to say anything.

  Rose must have seen how shocked I was because she made me a fresh cup of tea. She put it in front of me, sat down at the table, and began to talk again.

  “I’ve seen ghosts all my life. When I set up this shop it wasn’t long before they started to appear and ask me for help. There are some peculiar ghosts with some peculiar problems but I try to help them all. It’s very rewarding.”

  “And what happens when you’ve helped them? Do they go somewhere? Or do they follow you around?” I asked. I cupped my hands around the hot cup.

  “I’m not sure where they go. They light up and then disappear. I like to think that they’re going to a better place,” Rose smiled.

  “Like Bali?” I suggested.

  Rose laughed, “Perhaps. Have you ever seen a ghost?”

  I thought about the times that I’d seen something out of the corner of my eye. Particularly when I was working in the shop on my own.

  “I don’t think I have. Why are you asking me to help you? Why don’t you ask Carol? She’s worked here much longer than me,” I pointed out.

  Rose opened her mouth to answer. But Carol’s loud voice cut her off. Carol was talking to a customer in the shop out front.

  “Don’t try and haggle with me. You’re not in some market in Istanbul you know. What’s the price on the ticket? £25. That’s twenty five, not twenty and not fifteen. If you want some cheap tat then go down the road, we sell quality stuff here!”

  Rose looked at me and said, “Carol’s not the sensitive type. She’d scare the ghosts away. You’d be perfect. What do you say, Kate? Will you help me?”

  “But what if I can’t see the ghosts? Don’t I need a special gift? Or a near death experience?” I said.

  “I thought your marriage was a near death experience,” Rose’s eyes twinkled.

  I laughed, “That’s true. Can I think about it?”

  “Of course. It’s time for you to go home now anyway,” Rose stood up.

  I stood up too and went to collect my coat and bag. I walked over to Rose, ready to say goodbye. She grabbed my arm and said urgently, “Don’t take too long to think about it. If you can’t do it you need to let me know as soon as possible.”

  “I will,” I told her. I looked at Rose. She looked worried. And something else, something I’d never seen Rose look before. She looked frightened.

  Chapter 3

  I drove to Emily’s school, thinking about what Rose had asked me. I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do.

  As soon as Emily came out of school she began with her questions.

  “Mummy, Chloe was 7 today. How many days until I’m 7?” Emily asked. She passed me her lunch box to hold.

  “I don’t know how many days, it’s about 3 months,” I replied, handing the lunch box back to her.

  “Can we find out how many days? And then how many hours? And then how many minutes? And why do I have to carry my lunch box?” Emily finally paused for breath.

  “When we get home we’ll work out how many days to go. You carry your own box because you’re a big girl,” I smiled down at her.

  Emily chatted to me on the drive home, all through making tea and up until she fell asleep.

  I brushed Emily’s hair off her sleeping face, gently, because I didn’t want to wake her and for her to start asking questions again.

  I went downstairs and thought about Rose. I couldn’t deal with ghosts. I couldn’t even watch scary movies. Rose was much tougher than me. If I saw a ghost I’m sure I’d run screaming out of the shop.

  And what about Emily? I couldn’t have a ghost in my house scaring my little girl.

  No, I couldn’t do it. Rose would have to ask someone else. There must be someone she knows who could help instead.

  Satisfied that I’d made the right decision I went to bed.

  “I’ll tell her first thing tomorrow,” I promised myself.

  But I never got chance.

  The next day, Rose was dead.

  Chapter 4

  I knew something was wrong the moment I walked into the shop. It felt dark and cold. Rose usually had the lights on and the radio playing in the background.

  Carol was standing behind the counter.

  “There’s no easy way to say this, Kate. Rose is dead. She died last night at home,” Carol said.

  My legs felt wobbly and I collapsed in the nearest chair. I felt as though someone had punched me.

  Carol came out from behind the counter. “Are you alright? You’ve gone a funny colour.”

  I looked up at her, “No! I’m not alright. You’ve just told me that Rose has died! Aren’t you bothered?”

  Carol thought for a while, “I suppose I’ll miss her. She paid good wages.”

  I shook my head at Carol’s response. “How did
she die?”

  “She’d been poorly for months, that’s what her son said when he phoned me last night. She knew she was going to die. She wrote letters to her family,” Carol said.

  “What do we do now? With the shop?” I asked.

  The shop door opened. An elderly lady walked in.

  “Just a minute. We’ve got a customer,” Carol said and she strode over to the counter and stepped behind it.

  Never mind customers! What about Rose?

  “How can I help?” Carol asked the old lady. Carol had that look on her face that she thinks is a smile. It’s quite scary.

  The old lady peered up at Carol and said, “What’s wrong with your face? Have you got wind?”

  Carol ignored the comment and asked again if she could help.

  The old lady pulled at the rings on her finger. With some difficulty she took the rings off and put them on the counter.

  “How much can you give me for these? I don’t want them anymore,” the old lady said.

  Carol picked the rings up and began to examine them. “I can’t give you a price straight away. I need to look at them properly. Can you come back tomorrow?”

  The old woman sighed, “I suppose so. Will you give me a good price? You won’t cheat me will you?”

  Carol glared at the woman, “I never cheat anyone. Come back tomorrow.”

  I stood up. My legs still felt weak but I walked over to the old lady and said, “Come back in a few days. We’re going to be closed for a while.”

  “Are we? Why?” Carol now glared at me.

  I looked at her and said, “Because there’s been a death of a very close friend and we’re closing the shop as a mark of respect.”

  Carol looked down at the counter and muttered, “Yes, I suppose we have to do that.”

  Then the old woman made us jump by banging her hand on the counter. She spat out, “Don’t talk to me about the dead! They can all go to hell!”

  She slammed the door on her way out.

  Carol tutted, “How rude.”

  In the corner of the shop I saw a movement, like a shadow shifting. And I heard an anguished wail, like somebody’s heart was breaking.

  Chapter 5

  I told Carol that I didn’t feel up to working and I left the shop. The world felt different somehow, now that Rose wasn’t in it anymore.

  I could feel tears prickling at my eyes and I knew I was going to start crying soon. I managed to hold myself together until I got home, then I broke down and had a really good cry.

  Rose had been one of the kindest, most thoughtful people that I had ever known and I was going to miss her.

  I felt sorry for myself for most of the day. Then I began to worry about my job. Would someone else take over? Would I still have a job?

  Just after 3 o’clock I drove to school to pick Emily up.

  As usual, she was full of questions.

  “Mummy,” she began, “we’ve been learning about shapes today. Do you know what a cube is? I do. Do you know what a cuboid is? I do. When we get home can we find lots of shapes? I want to take them into school tomorrow.”

  On the way home Emily pointed out different shapes that she spotted on our journey.

  As soon as we got inside the house she began to race around looking for objects.

  “Can you help me mummy? I need to find a sphere shape,” Emily asked.

  I felt exhausted by the events of the day and told her I would help after I’d had a cup of tea.

  “Rose will know where I can find a sphere shaped thing,” Emily said.

  I sighed. I didn’t want to tell her about Rose just yet, but then someone at her school might find out and tell her instead.

  I sat down on the settee and asked Emily to come and sit beside me.

  “You can’t ask Rose about shapes,” I put my arm around Emily’s little shoulders.

  “Why not?” Emily asked.

  “Because Rose isn’t here any more,” I said.

  Emily laughed, “Of course she is! She’s standing right behind you.”

  I turned around. Emily was right. Rose was standing right behind me.

  Chapter 6

  I didn’t know what to say. I just stared at Rose.

  Rose smiled at Emily and said, “Look in your toy box, Emily. You’ll find lots of different shapes in there. If you need any help just give me a shout.”

  “Thanks, Auntie Rose,” Emily said. She jumped from the settee and raced up the stairs. A few seconds later I heard her banging around in her bedroom.

  I was still staring at Rose.

  “Close your mouth, Kate, love, I don’t need to see what you had for breakfast,” Rose said.

  Rose came around the back of the settee and sat down next to me.

  “You’re supposed to be dead,” I managed to say.

  Rose chuckled, “I am dead. It’s a very peculiar feeling, I’m still getting used to it.”

  “Does that mean that you’re a ghost?” I asked.

  “I must be if I’m dead. But you can think of me as a visitor, if that makes it easier for you,” Rose said.

  “But why are you here? Why have you come to see me? How can I see you if you’re a ghost? Did it hurt, when you died? How did you get here?”

  Rose put her hand up, “You sound just like Emily with all these questions. And I’m not sure I know the answers to them all. But no, it didn’t hurt when I died. I just fell asleep.”

  “Why have you come to see me?” I said. I had a funny feeling that I already knew the answer.

  “I think you already know the answer to that question,” Rose said.

  “As you reading my mind? If you are, please stop it,” I said worriedly.

  Rose laughed again, “No, I can’t read your mind. If I was visited by someone like me I’d want to know what was going on. And the answer is, you never answered my question about taking on more responsibilities in the shop.”

  “You mean, helping ghosts?” I said.

  “Well, I can’t do it any more can I?” Rose said. “Please say you’ll help, Kate. There’s no one else I can ask.”

  “I’m still not sure. What if a ghost hurts Emily?” I asked.

  Rose explained, “Emily has got a sort of protective bubble around her, she won’t get hurt.”

  “And what about me, do I have a protective bubble?” I wondered.

  “No, but I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Rose smiled.

  Just then, Emily came running into the room, her arms full of toys.

  “Look at what I’ve found!” Emily threw the toys on the floor. “Where’s Rose gone?”

  I looked to my side and saw that Rose had disappeared.

  I felt a bit relieved. I wasn’t sure that I liked talking to ghost Rose.

  But then I felt a cold draft next to my ear and Rose whispered, “Go to the shop tomorrow, there’s a ghost customer waiting for you.”

  Chapter 7

  Before I went to bed I explained to Emily about Rose being dead.

  “Does that mean I’ve seen a ghost?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  Emily grinned, “I hope I see some more!”

  She was sleep within two minutes.

  I had a sleepless night, thinking about Rose, the dead version and the un dead version. I also felt a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge, just after being told that ghosts are going to visit him during the night.

  In the morning I dropped Emily, and a bag of shapes, at school. I parked near the shop. As I walked closer I noticed a handwritten sign in the window that said ‘Shop closed due to bereavement’. Carol must have done that. I used my spare key to open the door. The lights were on and Carol was standing behind the counter looking down at something.

  “I didn’t expect to see you today,” Carol said.

  “I didn’t expect to see you either. Shall I put the kettle on?” I offered.

  “Yes. I was just looking at the rings that the old woman brought in yesterday. They look quite valuable. I think I’ll have to get a
proper valuation,” Carol held the rings out for me to look at.

  I looked at the rings, they were beautiful. There was a gold wedding band and an engagement ring set with a heart shaped red stone.

  “I suppose we should have a chat about the shop and what we’re going to do with it,” I said.

  Carol nodded, “We should carry on as normally as we can do for now.”

  She locked the rings in the safe beneath the counter. “Well, are you putting the kettle on or not?”

  I went into the back of the shop and over to our little kitchen area. I looked from left to right as I put the kettle on. I was expecting a ghost to jump out at me. Every time I heard a noise I jumped out of my skin. By the time I took the cups of tea into the shop my hands were shaking.

  Carol noticed, “What’s wrong with you? Have you got a hangover?”

  “No I haven’t got a hangover!” I told Carol. I put the cups shakily on the counter.

  “Well, watch what you’re doing with that tea, you’re spilling it everywhere,” Carol took a tissue from her cardigan pocket and began to mop up the mess that I’d made.

  I decided to confide in Carol.

  “You’ve worked here a long time. Did you notice anything strange about Rose?” I asked.

  “Rose was a very strange person, what my mum used to call Bohemian. Can you be more specific?” Carol said. She slurped her tea, “Too much milk.”

  “What I meant was, did Rose ever talk to you about ghosts?” I asked hopefully.

  Carol banged her cup down onto the counter. “Don’t you talk to me about ghosts! Rose had that nonsense in her head and tried to talk to me about it. I don’t want you to be the same! There is no such thing as ghosts.”

  “Then how do you explain this?” I said and I held up my left hand. The rings that had just been locked in the safe were now on my wedding ring finger.

  Carol spluttered, “What are you playing at? How did you get those? Give them back to me.”

  “They’d just appeared on my hand,” I explained.

  I took the rings of and handed them back to Carol. She gave me a funny look and then locked the rings back in the safe.