Ghostly Games

by K. E. O'Connor

  “She needs some company,” muttered the same man from behind us.

  Birdie shook her head. “The Bellamys are a nice couple. But I imagine Jasmine does get lonely. She doesn’t work, you see. Spends all her time inside that house on her own. The husband works away at times. He’s an accountant for some big law firm. It must be strange rattling around in there on her own.” She placed our drinks on the bar. “Make sure you’re nice to her.”

  “I intend to be,” I said. “Do they often come in here?”

  Birdie shook her head as she took some money from Zach for the drinks. “Not that often anymore. They used to. But their lives have changed now. They’re a serious couple. They used to be more light-hearted and fun. They’d come to our quiz night and put up a good fight.”

  “What happened to make them so serious?” I asked.

  “That’s for you to ask them,” said Birdie. “I don’t like to gossip.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” muttered the man behind us.

  Birdie pointed a finger at him. “Elvis Crabtree, if you keep making nasty comments like that, you won’t be welcome in here. Then you’ll have to travel five miles to the next pub to get your hands on your favorite tipple.”

  Elvis grunted and shifted in his seat. “I only speak the truth.”

  “You only speak your version of the truth.” Birdie looked back at me, and her stern features softened. “It’s always nice to have new faces in here. Drop by any time you like. We keep strange hours, but if I’m about, the door is always open. And we have a pie and mash evening on a Thursday. Home-made pie by these fair hands.” She held up her hands for me to inspect.

  “Sounds lovely,” said Helen. “I love a home-made pie.” Helen liked all good food, lots of it, and in large portions. I often wondered how she kept her curvy figure in check.

  I was much thinner than Helen, with only a few curves that served me, despite enjoying all the lovely food Helen regularly made me. But I didn’t mind, and Zach loved me just as I was.

  We took our drinks and sat at a table by the window, looking out at the rain as it flogged down. The dogs sat at our feet, seeming content in their new surroundings.

  “It will be nice having this on our doorstep.” Helen took a sip of her cider. “Despite the creepy name.”

  “It’s a local legend,” said a man sitting to our right. He wore a tweed jacket, dark trousers, and a white shirt open at the neck. He removed the flat cap on his head to reveal a mess of greying curls. “I’m Harry Parsons. I run the village museum and collate local history about the area. I can tell you all about the different buildings if you’re interested.”

  I shook hands with Harry. “I’m Lorna—”

  “Yes, I heard your introductions at the bar,” said Harry. “Fine looking dogs you’ve got there.”

  “The grey one is mine,” I said, “or rather, I’m his. The black one is Jessie. She belongs to Zach.”

  “Your dog looks like a wolf,” said Harry. “That grey fur and the pale eyes. He’s friendly enough, is he?”

  “If you’re nice to him, he’ll be nice to you,” I said. Flipper only bared his teeth when he thought I was under threat. “What were you saying about a legend?”

  Harry looked up from his inspection of Flipper. “The research I’ve done suggests Aston Magna was once home to Death.”

  “Death! As in the mythical figure who arrives to take you to the afterlife?” asked Helen.

  “Could be.” Harry rocked back in his seat. “But more likely, it has something to do with the very real family who lived here hundreds of years ago and helped grow the village to what it is now. Their surname was Death, or, more accurately, D’Eath. But everyone pronounces it incorrectly.”

  “Were they a wealthy family?” asked Zach.

  “They must have been,” said Harry. “They built a number of the larger houses around here. They also established a museum. Lord D’Eath was something of a collector and wanted a space to store his finds. I’m still sorting through everything in the back rooms of the old museum, helping to collate and preserve it all. He traveled all over the world, shipping back things he thought were of interest.”

  “Is that why the pub is called the Reaper’s Arms?” I asked. “Is it linked to the unusual family name?”

  “Now that is interesting.” Harry’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. “They didn’t build the pub. They had a falling out with another local family, the Fieldmasters. The rivalry spans generations, with fathers passing down the hatred to their sons, and so on. If my research is correct, the Fieldmasters decided it would be amusing to build this pub and call it the Reaper’s Arms as a kick in the eye to their enemy. That’s where the legend about Death coming to stay in Aston Manga comes from, an old feud, and a slip of the tongue when it came to saying a surname.”

  “Just so long as we don’t bump into the real Death wandering around the streets, I don’t mind,” said Helen with a shudder.

  “The worst you’ll bump into around here is old Elvis staggering away from the pub late at night.” Harry smiled. “Things are quiet in Aston Manga. We like it that way.”

  “How long have the Bellamys lived here?” I asked.

  “Must be six years now,” said Harry. “They bought the cottage from an old lady, who had lived there for at least fifty years. She didn’t touch the place, so it was something of a museum, in itself. They spent a year renovating it before they moved in, and they’ve been there ever since. I like what they’ve done to it. They’ve kept the character of the cottage, without adding too many modern touches. Hate it when people gut a place and leave nothing of the original bones behind.”

  “Do you know where they might be?” I asked. “We were supposed to meet them at the house this afternoon.”

  “Well, Elvis was telling the truth.” Harry glanced around the pub. “They do spend a lot of time in the cemetery.”

  “What do they do there?” asked Helen. “Are they visiting someone’s grave?”

  The door to the pub was pushed open, and a man and woman walked through, looking soaked and weary as they staggered to the bar.

  “You can ask them yourself,” said Harry. “Those two are your new employers.”

  Chapter 3

  “Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy?” I approached the two rain drenched strangers standing at the bar.

  The man turned towards me, his glasses steaming up from the warmth of the pub. “That’s right.”

  “I’m Lorna Shadow,” I said. “I believe you’re expecting me?”

  “My goodness, is it that time already?” Mr. Bellamy inspected his watch, dashing raindrops from the glass. “I’m so sorry. We lost track of time today.”

  “It’s not a problem,” I said. “We found this place easily enough.”

  He pumped my outstretched hand. “What must you think of us, leaving you stranded outside our house in these conditions?”

  “We’ve not been here long,” I said, “and were happy to find the pub open.”

  “Of course,” said Mr. Bellamy. He turned to the woman next to him. “This is my wife, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine was thin and pale, just like her husband, and had a mass of long dark hair that stretched almost to her waist. Her eyes were dark, and there were blue smudges underneath them. “Welcome to Aston Manga.” She shook my hand gently.

  “This is your new companion,” said Mr. Bellamy to his wife.

  “It’s nice to have you here,” said Jasmine. “It’s Lorna, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right, Mrs. Bellamy,” I said.

  “Call us Jasmine and Chris. I hate all these formalities. I want you to feel comfortable in our home. And I don’t think you’ll do that by calling us Mr. and Mrs. all the time.” Chris nodded at me. “If that’s okay with you?”

  “That’s fine,” I said. “Would you like to meet Helen? She’s your new housekeeper.”

  “Of course.” Chris attempted a smile, but it looked strained to me. He grabbed their drinks from the bar. “Let�
�s meet Helen.”

  I led them to the table where Helen and Zach sat. I did a quick round of introductions, including the dogs, before we all sat down together.

  “How was your journey here?” asked Chris.

  “No problems,” I said. “We’re used to navigating the country lanes.”

  “That’s right. Sounds like you travel all over the place in your work,” said Chris.

  “It’s one of the perks of the job. We get to see lots of beautiful places,” I said.

  “Your home looks lovely,” said Helen. “We were just hearing from Harry about the work you’ve done to the place.”

  Chris looked over at Harry and nodded at him. “We wanted to get it just right. We are planning to make it our forever home.”

  “Not thinking of moving on then?” asked Harry quietly.

  “Why would we want to do that?” Chris’s gentle gaze hardened.

  “Just saying,” said Harry. “Sometimes, people need a change of scene. It can make things better.”

  “We are fine as we are.” Chris looked away from Harry and took a long drink from his pint of ale.

  I shifted in my seat, sensing the tension, and noticing the tight expression on Jasmine’s face. “I’m looking forward to starting work with you.”

  Jasmine gave me a tired looking smile. “It will be nice to have company at the house. As you know, my husband works away a lot, and the village is small. It’s not always easy to make a lot of friends around here.”

  “I’m sure we can keep each other busy.” I shoved as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible.

  “There will be a small amount of paperwork for you to do,” said Jasmine. “But on the whole, your duties will simply be to keep me company. It will be nice to have you with me when I go out as well. I like to walk some afternoons and take the occasional day trip.”

  “And you can do more of that now Lorna is here.” Chris patted Jasmine’s arm. “You don’t need to feel alone. I do worry about you when I’m away on business.”

  “I know you do,” said Jasmine, “which is why I agreed to have Lorna.” She looked down into her lap, and I noticed Flipper’s head was resting on her knee.

  “I hope you don’t mind him,” I said. “He’s excellent company as well.”

  “I love dogs.” Jasmine gently brushed Flipper’s fur with one hand. “I had thought it would be nice to get a dog. But with things the way they are, maybe now is not good timing.”

  “We can get a dog,” said Chris. “If that will make you happy, we can get as many dogs as you’d like. What kind do you want? We can go today and have a look at some. I expect there are dozens of dogs in the pound desperate for a good home.”

  Jasmine gave a half shrug. “Maybe in the future.”

  Chris nodded and let out a sigh. He looked over at Zach. “Are you staying nearby?”

  “I’ve got a gardening position ten miles away,” said Zach, “so fairly close.”

  “I am sorry we weren’t able to offer you a position at the house as well,” said Chris. “Helen was persuasive on the telephone as to how good your skills are. But we have a man who comes in three times a week and tends to everything, and we don’t want to get rid of him.”

  “There’s no need to apologize,” said Zach. “I’ll have plenty to keep me busy at my new position.”

  “You’ll be welcome to come over any time you like,” said Chris. “You may even be able to give our own chap a few pointers. He’s reliable, but getting on in years and, sometimes, misses a few bits. I think he has trouble bending; suffered an injury to his back a few years ago. I don’t like to say anything. He does as good a job as possible, and he came with the house when we bought it. Turned up one morning and said he’d been mowing the lawn and tending the beds for thirty years. I couldn’t turn him away.”

  “I have weekends off,” said Zach. “I can always drop by then if you think I can be of any help.”

  “Excellent,” said Chris.

  I exchanged a smile with Zach. It was good to know I’d be seeing plenty of him, even though we weren’t working together.

  “I should get going.” Zach drained his orange juice. “I’ve yet to meet my new boss and don’t want to be late.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” I said to him. We left the pub together, with Jessie and Flipper walking alongside us. The rain was now a light drizzle as we stood in the doorway.

  “I wish you could stay,” I said.

  “I won’t be far away,” said Zach. “And as you’ve heard, looks like I’ll be able to visit often.”

  “That won’t be so bad,” I said.

  “But you have to promise me one thing,” said Zach.

  “What’s that?”

  “That you’ll be careful,” said Zach. “I know you and old houses. Whenever you can, you find the ghosts in them.”

  “I can’t imagine they’ll be any ghosts in this house.” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

  “Do you have any idea how old that building is you’re going to be living in?” asked Zach.

  I sighed. “Yes, I know it’s ancient. But that doesn’t mean there’s going to be a restless ghost in there.”

  Zach raised his eyebrows and then kissed my forehead. “If there’s a ghost around this village, it will find you. And I know you won’t be able to resist helping it.”

  “I’ll do my best not to help anyone,” I said.

  Zach hugged me to him and kissed the top of my head. “You’ll do what you have to do. All I ask is that you take care of yourself. No more chasing after suspects or risking your own life to solve any more mysteries.”

  “I’ll try not to.” My words were muffled in his thick brown sweater. Zach did know me well. As much as I tried to resist, I always ended up helping the ghosts that appeared. They were restless for a reason. They’d usually been wronged when they were alive and needed someone to help them set things right. They couldn’t do it on their own, and I didn’t want to deny them their chance of being at peace.

  “Should I ask Helen to keep an eye on you for me?” asked Zach.

  “She’s worse than me when it comes to the ghosts,” I said. “When I don’t want to help them, she twists my arm, and convinces me I must. You’ll never get her on your side.”

  “And I suppose there’s no chance of Flipper stopping you from misbehaving?” Zach looked down at the dogs, who sat obediently at our feet.

  “Not a hope,” I said. “Although he’s always keeping an eye on me and making sure I’m safe. But you have nothing to worry about. This job is going to be a quiet one. Jasmine doesn’t strike me as a troublesome employer. Actually, I’m a bit worried I might be bored. Sitting with her all day, I’ll run out of things to talk about.”

  “Which means you’re even more likely to get yourself in trouble,” said Zach.

  “I’ll stay safe,” I said. “But it will give you a good reason to visit regularly, just to make sure I am behaving myself.”

  “I suppose it does.” Zach grinned before kissing me. “I’d better go. Don’t want to make a bad impression on my first day.”

  I watched him hurry to the Land Rover and let Jessie in before jumping into the driver’s seat. He gave me a wave before pulling away from the side of the road.

  I had to admit, I didn’t love the idea of Zach working at a different place than me. I’d gotten used to him being around. He was a solid, dependable guy, and I liked that.

  I turned back to the pub and saw Helen, Jasmine, and Chris get up from the table. A few seconds later, they arrived at the front door.

  “Thought you might like to look around your new home,” said Chris, as he spotted me in the entrance.

  “That sounds good,” I said.

  “The rain has slowed, so we won’t get too soggy on our short walk to the cottage,” said Chris.

  I nodded and waited for Helen to emerge from the pub. We walked together side-by-side, just behind Chris and Jasmine.

  “They don’t seem too ha
ppy,” I whispered to Helen.

  “I picked up on that too,” said Helen. “Chris is making an effort, but I can see it’s a struggle. Maybe they’ve had an argument and are putting on a brave face for us, so they don’t think we’ll be working for a miserable couple.”

  “I think it’s more than that,” I said. “Jasmine looks like she’s going to burst into tears at any second.” I studied Jasmine and Chris as they walked along. Chris had a tight hold on Jasmine’s hand, and I could see her shoulders were slumped, and she dragged her feet along the ground as if every step was an effort.

  “I hope they’re not going to be too gloomy,” said Helen, “or this could be a pretty grim experience.”

  “They could have been visiting someone in the cemetery,” I said. “Maybe someone in the family has died recently and they’re in mourning? Or it could be a significant anniversary for them.”

  “They didn’t say anything about that when we were in the pub,” said Helen.”

  Chris turned as he reached the door to the cottage and waited for us to catch up. “Welcome to your new home.”

  Chapter 4

  A tingle of excitement ran down my spine. I always loved seeing what my new home offered.

  He unlocked the front door and pushed it open to reveal a low ceilinged, wood paneled entrance hall.

  I stepped through the doorway with Helen and Flipper, and we followed Chris and Jasmine into the living room. The ceilings were just as low, and there was a huge open fireplace on one side of the room that was big enough to stand in. Two large comfortable sofas dominated the rest of the room, and a multi-colored rug was thrown across the wooden floorboards.

  “This is the room we use in the evenings,” said Chris. “But there’s one of similar size opposite here, which you are welcome to make use of.” He led us out of the room and along the hallway. “To the right is a dining room, and to the left is the kitchen.”

  “Is it just the two of you living here?” I asked.

  “We have a cook who visits in the evening to make dinner and put together something for lunch the next day, but she doesn’t live in,” said Chris.