Ghostly Secrets

by K. E. O'Connor

  “I’m going nowhere,” said Dexter. “And I suggest you stick to pulling up plants and mowing the lawn. If you lay one finger on me, I will have you arrested.”

  Zach took a menacing step towards Dexter. “Leave. Now.”

  “You don’t tell me what to do,” said Dexter as he moved towards his car.

  “I may not have the authority to do so, but Juliette made it clear she does not want you here,” said Zach.

  “That’s correct,” said Juliette.

  Dexter adjusted the cuffs on his shirt, his gaze running over Zach. “Maybe I do need to calm down. But my business is important to me, and I will not be taken advantage of.”

  “We aren’t taking advantage of you,” said Juliette.

  “I disagree,” said Dexter. “I’ll take a walk and cool down, though. But I want this matter resolved swiftly.”

  “So do I,” said Juliette. “The quicker you are out of our lives, the better.”

  “Walk around the grounds and get your thoughts together,” said Zach. “And if you come back trying to force Juliette into doing anything she’s not happy with, I’ll be having a word with you.”

  “You’ve got this one well-trained,” Dexter said to Juliette.

  “Zach is an excellent gardener,” Juliette said quietly.

  Dexter shrugged. “I advise you to think carefully about cutting me out of your life, Juliette. We are not finished with each other yet. Archie owes me, and I intend to collect.” He strode away, disappearing into the long shadows of the garden.

  “I’m going after him,” I said to Helen.

  “You can’t!” said Helen. “What if he turns on you as well? That man has a nasty temper on him.”

  “He won’t,” I said. “Zach’s right. Dexter’s a bully. He’s throwing his weight around and making hollow threats about going to court and assuming it will get him what he wants.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” said Helen.

  “I’m willing to take the chance,” I said. “This might be the only opportunity I get to speak to Dexter. And Archie’s convinced he’s involved in his death.”

  “Be careful.” Helen grabbed hold of Flipper and Jessie. “And if Dexter shows the slightest hint of turning nasty, knee him in the groin and run away as fast as you can.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to take any risks with him.” I sped away from the bushes and round the side of the house, determined to meet with Dexter as he walked through the gardens. I spotted him in front of me, kicking hunks of mud out of Zach’s carefully mown lawn, and increased my speed. As I got nearer, I could hear Dexter muttering under his breath.

  “Are you lost?” I called out to him.

  Dexter slowed and turned towards me. “No, I know the gardens well.” His gaze ran over me and a smile spread across his face. “However, you I don’t know.”

  “I’m new to the household.” I smiled at him brightly. “I’m Juliette’s personal assistant.”

  “Are you now,” said Dexter. “And how are you finding life in the Musgrave household?”

  “I’m liking it so far.” I fell into step with Dexter as he continued his walk. “But I’ve not been here for long. Are there any insider tips you can give me?”

  “It’s not for me to gossip about old friends.” Dexter grinned. “I suppose you know about Archie?”

  “I had heard Juliette’s first husband died in tragic circumstances,” I said. “It was a fall from a horse, wasn’t it?”

  “So they say.” Dexter stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. “Don’t understand it, myself. He was something of a show off when it came to horses. Archie used to challenge me during our rides together, knowing he’d beat me. And he was an excellent jumper. That beast of a horse of his, Brutus, could jump anything.”

  “You and Archie were friends?”

  “Friends, business partners. We’ve known each other for years.” Dexter gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. “Not that you’d think it after my conversation with his frosty wife and her new lover.”

  “Juliette doesn’t approve of you?”

  “Juliette never did like me,” said Dexter. “Too stuck up for her own good, that one. Archie was only with her because of the status she offered him. She’s in a class above him, and he loved to show off how well he had married. Archie was always going on about her family history and their connections to some ancient member of the royal family.”

  “So why are you here if Juliette doesn’t like you?” I asked.

  Dexter paused and stared at me for a few seconds. “Why are you so curious to know about my business affairs with the household?”

  “Well, I’m not certain about Juliette myself,” I said slowly, hoping my lie wouldn’t be easy to see through. “She’s hiding something.”

  “She most likely feels guilty for carrying on with Ben,” said Dexter. “Archie was no angel when they were married, but it’s an embarrassment that Juliette married her younger lover.”

  “It’s not just that,” I said. “From what you’ve told me, Archie was an excellent horse rider. Do you think Juliette had anything to do with his death?”

  Dexter took a step back, surprise clear on his face. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Although, it is strange the way Archie died. A broken neck from a fall off a horse is not the way he would have wished to go. Do you really think Juliette had something to do with it?”

  “I don’t know for certain,” I said. “But she is secretive. She must be hiding something.”

  “That is interesting.” Dexter resumed his walk. “And if it turns out she is a murderer, it would mean Archie’s assets are up for grabs. I know he always meant to leave me something in his will; he just never got round to altering it. Plus, we had plans to liquidate some of our combined assets, including that enormous pile of bricks back there.”

  “He was going to sell the estate?”

  “Yes, we were working on a new business venture,” said Dexter, “a chain of high-class casinos around the country. Archie’s always been in show business, but we wanted to expand our portfolio. That’s how I got to know him, through the movie business. But I always wanted more. And when I told him about this opportunity, he wanted in. Archie was happy to liquidate some of the estate in order to invest enough capital so we could make it happen.”

  “What would have happened to Juliette if Archie sold their home?”

  “He’d have bought somewhere smaller for them to live,” said Dexter. “But he had other reasons to get rid of some of his assets, or should I say, conceal them.”

  “What reasons?” I asked.

  “Can you keep a secret?” Dexter gave me a sly smile.

  “Of course,” I said.

  “All was not happy in the Musgrave estate,” said Dexter. “In fact, things were decidedly rocky.”

  “Rocky how?” I leaned towards Dexter, eager to hear what he had to say.

  “Rocky as in Juliette was planning to divorce Archie.”

  Chapter 14

  I awoke after a restless night’s sleep. Thoughts of my conversation with Dexter repeating around my head had kept me awake. The divorce revelation wasn’t such a shock, but the fact it was Juliette who was instigating the divorce and not Archie, surprised me.

  I hurried downstairs to find Helen at the table, Flipper by her side, sneaking crusts of her toast whenever he got the chance.

  “Thought you were never going to get up.” Helen smiled at me.

  “Sorry, but after last night, I needed the rest,” I said. “I had a lot to think about.”

  “Yes, Dexter revealing the whole divorce plan was a bit of a surprise.” Helen poured me a mug of tea.

  I’d filled her in about Dexter’s news after my walk with him round the grounds. He hadn’t told me much else of use after his divorce revelation, and had turned into a sleazebag, and suggested I spend the night with him. I’d declined his offer and hurried back to the cottage. Zach had gone to his studio by the time I got back, and al
though I’d wanted to see if he was okay after his close encounter with the unpleasant Dexter, it was late, and I hadn’t wanted to disturb him.

  “Dexter sounded so convincing that Juliette wanted to divorce Archie.” I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table. “He reckons Archie was beginning to hide away his assets so the divorce wouldn’t impact him financially if Juliette decided to go ahead with it.”

  “What a scumbag,” said Helen. “I hate it when men do that. Surely, the wife is entitled to a decent settlement if they do divorce.”

  “Dexter thinks she was going to claim grounds of infidelity, which may have ensured a larger settlement from Archie’s estate.”

  “No more than she deserves, having to put up with a cheater,” said Helen.

  A knock came on the door, and I jumped up to open it.

  “Mind if I join you?” asked Zach.

  “Come in,” I said to him. “We were talking about last night.”

  Zach walked in with Jessie. “It was eventful.”

  “Dexter is a nasty piece of work,” said Helen.

  “He's an interesting character.” Zach regarded me coolly before sitting at the table and accepting a mug of tea from Helen.

  “You didn’t have to go after him.” I joined him back at the table. “You could have been hurt.”

  “I know how to look after myself.” Zach inspected some fresh mud stains on his trousers. “But what about you? I couldn’t find you later. And Helen told me you decided to chase after Dexter. You are the one who could have been hurt.”

  “I was fine.” I realized why Zach was giving me the cold shoulder. Perhaps I had put myself at risk, but I had to speak to Dexter. “And I did find out something interesting. Juliette was planning to divorce Archie.”

  Zach raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of tea. “How does Dexter know that?”

  “Archie must have confided in him,” I said. “And they were planning to hide some of Archie’s assets, so Juliette wouldn’t get them in the divorce settlement.”

  “That’s nice of him,” said Zach. “I’m regretting not punching him now.”

  “The worrying thing is,” I said, “if all of this is true, it makes Juliette even more of a suspect. She could have found out what Archie was up to and decided to stop him before it was too late.”

  “Juliette killed Archie so she would get to keep more of the estate?” asked Helen.

  “Or Dexter could have been lying to you,” said Zach. “I got the impression he wasn’t the nicest of guys. What’s to say he didn’t decide to get rid of Archie himself? From the way he was propositioning Juliette last night, he may have designs on her.”

  “You think he wanted to marry Juliette?” asked Helen.

  “Maybe not marry.” Zach smiled wryly. “But why not? It would be an easy way for Dexter to get his hands on all of Archie’s assets, his high class wife included.”

  “That’s cold,” I said. “Dexter kills Archie, so he can get his wife and his money.”

  “What does Archie think of these theories?” asked Helen.

  “He’s not around,” I said. “Maybe he’s keeping an eye on things in the house. He was quick enough to go and investigate last night when Dexter appeared. Perhaps Archie’s worried he’s here to cause trouble for Juliette.”

  “That suggests Archie still cares for her,” said Helen. “If he wants to keep her safe, then he must think she has nothing to do with his death.”

  “We need to check out this divorce claim,” I said. “If it’s true, it will bump Juliette to the top of the suspect list.”

  “How are you going to do that?” asked Zach.

  “Juliette keeps her private papers in her cabinet in the orangery,” I said. “If there’s anything relating to a divorce, it will be in there. I will be able to have a look today when I’m at work.”

  “Don’t let her catch you,” said Helen.

  “She’s never around much,” I said. “Every day, so far, she’s had to lie down because of a headache. I’m usually on my own for several hours. It will be easy to take a quick peek inside and see what I can discover.”

  Helen downed her tea and stood up. “I need to get a move on. I have a pile of laundry to do today and that embroidering to complete. But let me know how you get on with the divorce paper hunt.”

  “Will do,” I said as Helen hurried out of the cottage door.

  Zach looked at me in silence for a few seconds. “You will be careful, won’t you?”

  “When am I not careful?” I asked.

  “When you go chasing after men you don’t know, who have almost had a fist fight with somebody.” Zach took hold of my hands. “You need to be more careful.”

  “You’re the one who charged out like some superhero to help Ben and Juliette,” I said. “I should be telling you the same thing.”

  Zach smiled at me. “Then we both need to be more careful. I would hate it if anything bad happened to you. I know you feel the need to help this ghost, but don’t risk your own safety to do so.”

  “I’d never do such a thing,” I said.

  “And I know that’s not true,” said Zach. “It wasn’t so long ago you were being chased around a room by a mad-eyed doctor with a syringe full of drugs he wanted to inject into you.”

  “That was a one-off,” I said. “It will never happen again.”

  “No, but something similar will if you aren’t more cautious.”

  “I will be careful,” I said to him. “But it’s important we help Archie. It seems more and more likely that someone did him harm. He needs help finding out who killed him and getting the justice he’s owed.”

  Zach kissed the back of my hand. “What am I going to do with you, Lorna Shadow?”

  “You don’t need to do anything with me, other than support me. You can be my knight in shining armor when I need one,” I said. “And make sure I have a plentiful supply of cakes to give me lots of energy.”

  Zach shook his head and smiled at me. “I can do that. So long as you stop running around trying to solve everything on your own.”

  I grinned, liking the idea of Zach being my protector. “I can’t help it. I’ve been my own knight in shining armor for a while. Having you by my side takes some getting used to.”

  “But you are getting used to it?”

  I kissed Zach’s cheek. “I’m happily getting used to it.”

  Zach pulled me closer. “How happy are you?”

  I laughed and squirmed out of his tempting embrace. “Stop distracting me. I’ve got some divorce paperwork to hunt out.”

  ***

  As predicted, an hour into the working day, Juliette began to flag and rub at her temple.

  “Do you need to take a break?” I asked. “I’ve got plenty to keep me busy here if you need to rest.”

  “Yes, I’m not feeling well, as usual.” Juliette sighed. “I wish these wretched headaches would leave me alone. All I want is a day where I feel well and like my old self.”

  I hesitated before speaking. “Do you think you might still be grieving for Archie? Could that be why you feel bad? Grief effects people in different ways.”

  “Archie! Well, I’d not thought about that,” said Juliette. “I do worry sometimes about the mess he’s left the estate in. I’m sure I’ll manage with what’s left, but until everything is sorted, I can’t be certain. And I would hate to leave this house.”

  “You aren't thinking of selling?”

  “It’s a possibility,” said Juliette. “And it is a big place for just the two of us. Maybe I’m being selfish keeping hold of it anyway. And I know, deep down, Ben isn’t happy here.”

  “He seems happy to me,” I said, encouraged that Juliette was opening up to me.

  “Ben pretends to be happy for my sake,” said Juliette. “But there are a lot of old memories here, good and bad, and all involving Archie. Maybe a fresh start would be good for me and Ben. I may feel better in a different home.”

  “Moving house is a
stressful business,” I said. “It’s not something you want to rush into.”

  “You’re right, and I won’t rush into it,” said Juliette. “But I need to change my ways if I’m to keep Ben happy.”

  “Ben seems like a kind man, and he’s obviously fond of you,” I said. “If you’re happy, he’ll be happy. I don’t think where you live is the important thing.”

  “He is the best of men.” Juliette sighed again and looked into her cup. “I’m going for a lie down. I can feel one of my headaches lurking and would hate for it to turn into a migraine.”

  “I’ll get to work on these.” I patted the pile of papers in front of me.

  “Thank you, Lorna.” Juliette touched my shoulder as she passed me. “I appreciate the work you do here.”

  I waited a few moments, before walking over to Juliette’s private cabinet. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt as to what I was about to do, but I needed to know if Juliette had been planning to divorce Archie. I hoped I'd find nothing. If I did, it would be proof to support the theory that she killed Archie, and I was beginning to like Juliette.

  Juliette had left her cabinet unlocked, and I eased it open and scanned through the files in front of me. There was one marked Personal, and I pulled it out and flipped to the papers inside. Most of it was financial matters, with a few letters from different solicitors. One letter caught my attention; it referred to the matter of her divorce from Archie Musgrave. I pulled out the papers and began to read through them.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  I jumped and turned round to find Juliette staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “I was just looking for something to do with my work.” I pointed feebly towards the pile of abandoned papers, knowing I had no excuse to be rifling through this particular file.

  “Nothing in that cabinet has anything to do with you.” Juliette strode towards me and snatched the papers from my hand. Her cheeks paled as she read the letter I’d been holding.

  “I didn’t mean to pry,” I said.