Ghostly Business

by K. E. O'Connor

  “Is everything all right, darling?” asked Lady Cordelia. “You’ve gone pale.”

  “I might be coming down with something.” Sebastien pressed the back of his hand to his forehead.

  Lady Cordelia touched his cheek and Sebastien jerked away from her. “You do feel a little clammy. Would you like me to send for the doctor? And you can always stay here if you feel unwell.”

  “If he’s sick then he needs to leave,” said Tabitha. “I don’t want him infecting me.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Sebastien pulled open the door. “I’m already feeling better.”

  “I’ll show you out.” Lady Cordelia hurried after him.

  “You’ll get used to this.” Montgomery grinned at me and Helen as he topped up his whiskey before returning to the table. “It’s never a good dinner party without a family argument.”

  “Uncle Monty, don’t be mean,” said Tabitha. “You know we don’t like Sebastien being here.”

  “He’s not so bad,” said Montgomery. “And he keeps your mother happy. And if she’s happy, it means she’s not picking on me, and I get to have as much fun as I like.”

  “Have you had a chance to look over those plans I gave you?” asked Julius.

  Montgomery waved a hand in front of his face. “Not had a chance. It’s got something to do with your animal park?”

  Leo knocked over three candlesticks on the table and we all jumped.

  Montgomery leapt up and extinguished the candle flames before they could do any damage to the table. “Wonder what made them do that?” He tested the weight of one of the candles in his hands.

  Flipper gave another bark as Leo continued to bump against the table, making the dishes rattle.

  “Could be an earthquake,” said Julius. “They happen in this country, but they’re so weak, most people don’t notice them.”

  “What nonsense, an earthquake in Yorkshire,” said Tabitha.

  “I’m telling you, it does happen,” said Julius. “Now, Uncle Monty, about this animal park. It will be a winning opportunity. There’s a lot of initial upfront investment, but once it’s open, it will be a goldmine.”

  Tabitha gave a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head. “Let’s not waste our time talking about the silly animal park. Let’s go and play Uncle Monty's dumb card games instead.”

  “The park is a brilliant idea,” said Julius.

  “And my card games are never dumb,” said Montgomery.

  “Oh, whatever.” Tabitha stood and dumped her napkin on the table. “But I need something to be entertained with. Your card games will have to do. But bring along that bottle of vodka over there, we might as well make it a lively one.” She grabbed Julius’s elbow and dragged him out of the dining room, still telling him to shut up about the park every time he opened his mouth.

  Montgomery walked over to grab a bottle of vodka and an open bottle of champagne. He looked over at me and Helen. “You’re welcome to join us. Tabitha and Julius are spoiled brats, but they’re family, so I let them get away with it. Don’t have much choice really. If I get on their bad sides, I might have my allowance cut.”

  I looked over at Leo, who had stopped spinning around the room, but now stood next to the table, his arms folded over his chest and his mouth set in a frown. “We’ll pass. It’s been an entertaining enough evening already. Can’t have too much excitement in one night.”

  “And we should get an early night,” said Helen, as she faked a yawn. “All this excitement is exhausting.”

  “You look like a woman who can hold her own.” Montgomery grinned at Helen. “I’ll get you playing cards with me one night.”

  “I’m not a gambler,” said Helen.

  “Then we can play strip poker,” said Montgomery.

  “Good evening, Montgomery,” said Helen, as she stood and turned her back on him.

  Montgomery laughed as he left the room, the bottles of alcohol tucked under his arms.

  “You can calm down now,” I said to Leo. “No more spinning around the room like that. It makes me feel sick.”

  “You weren’t the only one,” said Helen. “I couldn’t see what the ghost was doing, but I could feel it. It felt like I was on board a ship, and I don't have the best of sea legs. The salmon I ate at dinner is very unhappy at the moment.”

  “Mine too,” I said. “And Leo upset Flipper and Big Ginge as well.”

  Leo looked mournfully at the ground.

  “I understand you’re not happy with some of the plans your family have, but there’s no point in trying to scare them out of the castle.”

  Leo gave a shrug and then nodded.

  “I might be tempted to do that if they were going to get rid of all of my beloved animals,” said Helen, “and replace them with some hippos, or whatever it is Julius wants to do. It’s so unfair Lady Cordelia is closing the sanctuary.”

  Leo rattled the table and nodded.

  “I agree. But this evening has shown us some useful things,” I said. “We now have a whole load of new suspects who would benefit from Leo’s death.”

  Chapter 7

  Despite sharing my bed with not only Flipper but also Big Ginge, I’d had a good night sleep, and awoke convinced Leo needed help. Even if it was just to help him figure out how he really died, I got the impression he wasn’t going to leave this castle until he knew what happened to him. And that meant he wouldn’t leave me alone until we’d resolved the reason for him remaining here.

  And the more I found out about Leo and his family, the more I realized there were plenty of people who would benefit from his death, so murder was looking ever more likely.

  I showered, and dressed in a smart black suit, before going to the kitchen with Flipper, Big Ginge following closely behind us. Before we got to the kitchen, he made a detour out of a cat flap and vanished.

  Helen was already sitting at the kitchen table when we arrived, and Daphne was pouring boiling water into a teapot.

  “Good morning,” said Daphne brightly. “I hope you enjoyed your first day in the castle.”

  “Dinner was interesting,” I said, as I sat next to Helen.

  “Helen was telling me all about it,” said Daphne.

  “I’d just got to the part where Julius told Sebastien he was a greedy toy boy,” said Helen.

  “And, let me guess, they then had a big argument?” Daphne set the teapot on the table and handed me a white cup.

  “That’s right,” I said. “I’m guessing that’s something that happens around here often.”

  “It does, but it’s the children who are the problem.” Daphne leaned on the back of a chair. “They’ve got lots of half thought-out ideas about what they want to do with the castle, and don’t consider anybody else. It’s not my place to say, but I think since Leo died, they’ve been allowed to run wild. They both have their own places down in London, all paid for by Lady Cordelia, plus they’ve been given their own car each. And neither of them works. Well, Tabitha goes into some little fashion magazine a couple of days a week, but I don’t think she gets a salary. And Julius struts around the estate make-believing he owns the castle. They run Lady Cordelia ragged and she’s struggling to hold things together.”

  “Do you think Lady Cordelia misses Leo?” I asked.

  Daphne scrubbed the end of her nose. “They were fond of each other, but it wasn’t the sort of love that set the sheets on fire every night. To begin with, I don’t think the age difference was an issue, but the older Leo got the more eccentric he became. And it irritated Lady Cordelia that he spent so much time on his passions.”

  “You mean the cats?” I asked.

  “He did love his animals,” said Daphne. “Have you been over to the animal sanctuary yet?”

  “Not yet,” I said. “We might get a chance later after we've finished our work.”

  “Leo spared no expense on the animals. I think that’s one of the things that irritated Lady Cordelia so much. He was happy to spend thousands on a new indoor heating
system for the cats, but didn’t want to upgrade the system in the castle.”

  The kitchen door slammed open and two women dashed in, both wearing matching black trousers and jackets. One of them held a hanky to her nose and the other’s cheeks were bright red, her eyes full of tears.

  “Sandy! Nell! What’s the matter?” Daphne bustled over to them, a look of concern on her face.

  “That dreadful woman is threatening to shut down the sanctuary.” The taller of the two women blew her nose into the hanky. “She’s got such a cold heart. How can she throw all those angels out? She’s hateful.”

  “Sandy, that’s no way to talk about Lady Cordelia.” Daphne flapped her hands at Sandy. “Come sit at the table both of you and calm yourselves before you say something you’ll regret.” She ushered them in front of her and they both took seats.

  The women eyed me and Helen and then looked at Daphne.

  “You wouldn’t have met Lady Cordelia’s new employees, Lorna Shadow and Helen Holiday.” Daphne made the introductions.

  “Sorry you’re having to work for such an awful woman,” said Sandy.

  “What were you saying about her closing the sanctuary?” I asked.

  “She hates cats.” Nell pushed her dark blonde messy curls off her face and scrubbed her eyes. “And she was jealous of the amount of time Leo spent at the sanctuary.”

  “We were just talking about that.” Daphne passed around more mugs and filled everyone’s with strong tea. She put two sugar cubes in Nell and Sandy’s mugs.

  “She can’t get rid of the sanctuary,” said Sandy. “Where will all the cats go?”

  “And Leo would be dead against it if he was still here,” said Nell. “He always talked about having a permanent place for unwanted cats to live. He was adamant about that. But now he’s gone and Lady Cordelia can do what she likes. And I know Julius has been sniffing around as well, talking about having wild animals running loose in the estate.”

  “With a bit of luck, one of them will eat him if he makes it happen,” said Sandy. “That will serve him right.”

  The kitchen door was shoved open again, and this time Big Ginge strolled in, his tail raising as he saw us all sitting around the table.

  “And here is one of Leo’s favorites.” Nell jumped up and grabbed hold of Big Ginge. “The two of them were inseparable. They went everywhere together. This little sweetie used to sit and watch for Leo to come to the sanctuary and would follow him around, double checking everything was under control with the other cats.”

  “And Lady Cordelia hates the cats even more now,” said Sandy. “Since one of them smothered Leo in his sleep.”

  Big Ginge struggled out of Nell’s grip and hopped to the ground, before strolling over and sniffing noses with Flipper.

  “Is that what you think happened?” I asked Sandy.

  “Not for a second,” said Sandy. “I’m sure something fishy is going on over the way Leo died. It was all kept quiet because the family didn’t want a scandal.”

  “They think it will affect the bottom line if tourists know someone was killed here,” said Nell.

  “You think Leo was killed?” asked Helen.

  “What nonsense,” said Daphne. “It was a horrible accident that’s all. Don’t go putting daft ideas into these girls’ heads. They might decide to leave if they think the family are skulking around the corridors at night with dark intentions.”

  Nell shrugged. “Lady Cordelia can do what she likes now Leo’s gone. I bet she did snuff him out. And by killing Leo she also removed the barrier that's been stopping her from getting rid of the cats.”

  “And that means we’re out of work,” said Sandy. “We’ve lived on the estate for five years and I’d hate to leave. It would break my heart worrying about what happens to the cats. I expect Lady Cordelia will throw them in the lake.”

  “Stop all this nasty talk,” said Daphne. “Lady Cordelia isn’t that bad. She may have ideas that are different from her late husband’s, but that doesn’t make her an evil person. You know things need to change here if they’re going to keep the castle running. Have you seen the East Wing? There’s damp on the walls and a hole in the roof that needs fixing.”

  “So change something other than the sanctuary,” said Nell. “Open up more of the inside of the castle. Tourists would get a thrill if they saw the family sleeping in their fancy four-poster beds at night. They could even have peep shows when they’re in the shower. That would draw people in, if they got a chance to see how posh people take a wash.”

  “You’re just being silly.” Daphne flapped a dishcloth at Nell. “I don’t agree with getting rid of the cats, but perhaps we can have both wild animals and cats in the grounds. That way everyone is happy.”

  “I bet Lady Cordelia won’t like that.” Sandy snuffled in her hanky before drinking some tea.

  “And it’s Julius who’s obsessed with having wild animals stalking around,” said Nell. “He thinks the cats are a waste of money because they don’t bring in a, what did he call it when he was explaining his stupid vision the other week, good return on investment, I think. As if you need to think about things like that when you’re looking after unwanted animals. The man has no heart. Just like his mother.”

  “And Leo had too much.” Daphne gave a sad sigh. “He was too soft with the animals and the people who worked with them.” She gave Sandy and Nell a stern look. “Things will be different, but we all have to get used to that. It’s been almost a year since Leo’s gone and we knew changes were coming. I don’t imagine Lady Cordelia will want to change things quickly.”

  “Maybe she’s hoping we’ll leave first and save her the trouble of firing us,” said Nell. “Every time she visits the sanctuary she always finds something to complain about. She’s just looking for a reason to get rid of it all.”

  “Then make sure you do your jobs properly and she won’t have any cause for complaint,” said Daphne.

  “Mind if we drop by the sanctuary at some point?” I asked Sandy and Nell. “I love animals, and it would be great to meet the cats.”

  “You’d be welcome,” said Sandy. “We’re there every day. But if neither of us is around, feel free to look about. The cats always like visitors.”

  “But you’d better hurry,” said Nell, a scowl making her blue eyes pinch at the corners. “Otherwise they’ll all be gone, thanks to Lady Cordelia.”

  Sandy downed her tea and then stood. She looked over at Nell. “Come on, we’d better get back to the sanctuary. The cats need feeding and their litter cleaned out. There’s always so much work to be done.”

  Nell tried to stroke Big Ginge, but he skipped around the kitchen just out of her reach. “The cats are much better company than people anyway.”

  “I’m sure you don’t include us in that,” said Daphne.

  “I guess you’re all right.” Nell stomped out of the kitchen, closely followed by Sandy.

  “Welcome to the world of crazy cat ladies,” said Daphne. “Those two are so dedicated to their work, I’m surprised they don’t grow whiskers and tails of their own. I’m sure they’d be happier being cats than humans.”

  That didn’t sound like a terrible swap to me. Cats got to spend most of their time sleeping, eating or exploring. Not a bad life if you can get it.

  “They were right about Leo spending so much time at the sanctuary,” said Daphne. “I do hope Lady Cordelia has a change of heart and doesn’t shut it down. I’m not sure those two are suitable for working anywhere else. Leo spoiled them, and now he’s not here to look out for the sanctuary, they could fall apart.”

  “We need to see this sanctuary for ourselves,” I said.

  “If you’re into cats, it’s the place to be.” Daphne walked over to the kitchen counter and began arranging muffins on a plate.

  I helped myself to two blueberry muffins Daphne placed on the table in front of me and then gestured to Helen to follow me out of the kitchen. We had suspects to discuss.

  Helen grabbe
d her own muffins, and after a quick goodbye to Daphne, we left the kitchen, Flipper hot on my heels in the hope of getting some muffin of his own.

  “Sandy and Nell don’t think much of the family.” Helen bit into her blueberry muffin. “And Lady Cordelia and Julius are on the top of their hate list.”

  “I’ve been thinking Lady Cordelia was the main suspect in Leo’s death. But with Julius hating the way the castle is run and having his eye on changing things, we need to consider him a serious contender.”

  “And Tabitha as well,” said Helen.

  “What did she do to make you think she’s involved?”

  “She was mean to us,” said Helen.

  “Which makes her a killer?”

  “Which makes her not a nice person.”

  “She was pretty mean to Sebastien,” I said. “Okay, we may as well consider all possibilities.”

  “And what about Sebastien?” asked Helen. “A younger lover with no money of his own arrives on the scene. Did he see an opportunity and decide to get rid of Leo so he could snag some cash?”

  “I wonder how long he’s been around? Perhaps Lady Cordelia met him before Leo died.” I shook my head. “Sebastien doesn’t strike me as a money- grubber, though.”

  “I don’t think he’s here for love,” said Helen. “You saw how he was getting annoyed with Lady Cordelia for fussing over him. She’s trying to shape him into her perfect boy toy by buying him gifts and clothes and showing him off to her friends.”

  “He can go on the bottom of the list for now,” I said.

  “And then there’s Montgomery,” said Helen. “A charming drunken younger brother who squanders all of his money.”

  I immersed myself in a sweet blueberry muffin as I considered the growing list of suspects. “Let’s focus on Lady Cordelia first. I’ll see if I can find out anything useful when we’re working together today.”

  “You think she has her world domination plan tucked away in a filing cabinet?” asked Helen.

  “It would be handy if she did,” I said. “But I’m more interested in anything she has to say about Leo. She didn’t appear sad about his death when I mentioned it the first time we met. And she does have an awful lot to gain by him no longer being here. Maybe she got tired of having a much older husband who loved animals more than her. Then she met Sebastien, saw a chance to be wealthy and take a younger lover, and decided to do something about it.”