Ghostly Play

by K E O'Connor

  Ghostly Play

  Lorna Shadow Cozy Ghost Mystery, Volume 8

  K.E. O'Connor

  Published by K.E. O'Connor, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  GHOSTLY PLAY

  First edition. December 16, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 K.E. O'Connor.

  Written by K.E. O'Connor.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 1

  I didn’t know why I was tiptoeing. I was in my own home for goodness sake. This was the place I should feel most at ease, able to kick off my shoes and relax. Instead, I was creeping around barefoot, trying to find the elusive Amelia and figure out what she was playing at.

  It seemed like she didn’t want to come out to play today, though.

  Flipper was by my side, his nose pressed against my thigh as we continued skulking around the house. We went through the lounge, into the kitchen, and past the dining table.

  I stopped our slow circuit by the back door and stared out at the first flush of spring dusting the trees with green.

  “Why are you hiding, Amelia?” I whispered.

  There was nothing but silence.

  It had been like this since I’d returned to the house two weeks ago. Zach was convinced the ghost of his late wife was haunting him. Every time I tried to contact her, I got nothing. She did not want to communicate with me.

  That was surprising. Ghosts usually loved to bother me. Even when I didn’t want them by my side, they were often there, pestering for help, trying to get me to fix their problems.

  I’d given up avoiding them and accepted my fate. After all, if I was in their position and discovered someone alive could see me, I’d pester the hell out of them until they helped me figure out my issues.

  Amelia was different. She was staying silent, and that bothered me.

  Flipper nudged my leg with his nose and looked up at me.

  “I’m guessing you’re not picking up on anything strange?” Flipper was excellent at detecting signs of ghosts. In public, he went under the guise of my assistance dog. In reality, he was the best friend you could ever want. Well, the best non-human friend. He was loyal and faithful and the best furry hot water bottle I’d ever had.

  Flipper looked out the glass door and barked. Jessie was out there, rooting about under a bush, her black nose buried deep in a pile of crispy leaves.

  There’d be no chance of getting help from Flipper now. Whenever Jessie was around, they were always together, causing mischief and having a whole heap of doggie fun.

  I unlocked the back door and let him out. “Go and play. And, just so you know, you’re a rubbish ghost hunter.”

  He looked at me over his shoulder. He knew I didn’t mean it. I loved Flipper to the moon and back and had done so ever since I discovered him as an abandoned puppy. We saved each other that day.

  Gunner Booth strode into the kitchen, two empty mugs in his hands. He was off duty from his high-up position in the police. He wore faded black jeans and a checked shirt over a white T-shirt. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s going slowly.” I closed the door. “How about you?”

  “Oh, you know, the usual.” He switched on the kettle. “I’m making more tea for Helen and me.”

  I smiled. Gunner and Helen. Finally, they’d stopped sidling around each other and were officially a couple. It didn’t mean they argued any less, but I had a feeling the making up was a lot more fun.

  “I’m trying to persuade Helen to stay longer, but she insists you can’t be late for your new jobs. It’s all she’s talked about this last week.”

  I nodded. “She’s always good at keeping people on track.”

  “That’s what I like about her.” Gunner grinned. “I also enjoy trying to get her to go off plan. When she lets her hair down, she’s a lot of fun.”

  “And when she doesn’t?” I cocked an eyebrow at Gunner.

  His grin widened. “Then she’s equally as great.”

  It was official. Gunner had it bad for Helen. So he should. She was my best friend for a lot of good reasons. She was funny, loyal, ditzy smart, and an amazing cook. She always had my back. I loved her like a sister.

  “Have you seen Zach?” I asked.

  Gunner fiddled with a teaspoon. “He had to get supplies for his new job. He said he’d be back by now.”

  I knew he had. I was worried. Ever since the revelation that Zach had been married, things hadn’t been the same between us. It was my fault. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake my frustration at him having hidden that from me. He probably would never have told me about Amelia if it weren’t for the fact she’d started haunting the house. I hated secrets, and that had been a huge one.

  We’d talked about it, a lot. Zach was genuinely sorry. I understood he’d made a mistake. He was such a typical guy, trying to solve things and not asking for help. Now we were both in this mess, and I couldn’t see any way out. Especially if Amelia refused to communicate with me.

  “Is there any sign of Amelia?” Gunner glanced at me.

  “She’s staying clear of me,” I said.

  “You definitely think she’s here?” Gunner had been surprisingly easy to convince that I could see ghosts. Easier than Zach. Although I wasn’t always certain if Gunner was just humoring me.

  “Not for sure, but Zach is convinced she’s here. Have you had any things going missing?”

  “Only my cookies,” said Gunner. “I’m blaming Helen for that.”

  I had to smile. Helen was a demon when it came to anything sweet. Well, she loved all food. I was always amazed how she kept her curvy figure, eating the way she did.

  “She’ll make it up to you by baking more brownies.”

  “I hope she does,” said Gunner. “I’ll miss her... cooking when you leave.”

  “She’ll miss you too.” The Booth brothers were hopeless at sharing their feelings.

  “I said no to the tea.” Helen hurried into the kitchen, a suitcase in one hand. Her blonde hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and she wore fitted green pants and a white and floral-patterned blouse. “If I drink any more, we’ll have to make too many stops. We can’t afford to be late.”

  Helen was particularly excited about this new position. Normally, she took on the role of seamstress or laundress. This time, she was putting a new set of skills to the test. She’d been hired to do the cooking. She couldn’t be more thrilled. There was nothing Helen liked more than rustling up a new dish of treats. Helen was a feeder. I was delighted about that. I was a disaster in the kitchen. If it weren’t for Helen, I’d have been surviving on instant soup and tuna eaten out of the tin.

  “Baby, surely you can stay for one more drink.” Gunner wrapped an arm around Helen’s waist.

  “There’s no point in trying to sweet talk me.” Helen made a half-hearted attempt to get away from Gunner, before submitting to his kisses.

  I looked away, not wanting to interrupt their romantic moment. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Ever since Zach’s revelation about Amelia, I’d put up a barrier between us. He’d even spent a few nights sleepin
g on the couch after we’d argued. I hated the fact things weren’t going so well between us.

  It wasn’t so long ago that I’d thought a proposal from Zach wasn’t far off. But now, I couldn’t be sure we even had a future together.

  I looked around the kitchen. If only Amelia would show herself. We could figure out why she was here and get her out of our lives. Until she was gone, I couldn’t see us moving forward. The ghost-shaped wedge between us was too big of a deal for me.

  “No! We have to go. The Hudson’s won’t be impressed if we don’t turn up when we said we would.” Helen finally succeeded in getting out of Gunner’s arms. She straightened her blouse and shot me an exasperated look. The twinkle in her eye suggested she wasn’t all that upset over Gunner’s interest.

  “Isn’t there anything I can do to convince you to stay?” asked Gunner.

  “Not a thing. Are you ready, Lorna?” Helen asked me.

  “I’m all packed. I was hoping to say goodbye to Zach before we left.”

  “Is he still not back?” Helen’s smile faded. “He must have got stuck in traffic. He wouldn’t want to miss you.”

  “I guess so.” I wasn’t convinced by that argument. Maybe he didn’t want to say goodbye. Zach had been going on lots of errands lately, finding reasons to get out of the house. Maybe he no longer thought of this as his home and wasn’t happy here. Maybe he wasn’t happy with me.

  I shook myself out of my glum thoughts. I had a new job to go to and had to concentrate on that. I ran up the stairs, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the front door.

  Gunner let Jessie and Flipper into the house. They bounded over to Helen and me.

  “You can’t both come with me.” I petted them both on the head. “Jessie, Zach will miss you if you don’t stay here.”

  Jessie wagged her tail, ever hopeful she’d get to hang out with her best friend a bit longer.

  “Say your goodbyes. It’s time to go,” I said to them.

  Flipper nuzzled Jessie. She rubbed her face against his before turning and sniffing his butt. She was ever the lady.

  I headed outside to give Helen and Gunner a moment alone. I was hopeful of seeing Zach’s Land Rover puttering along the road. My heart sank. There was still no sign of him. Only Helen’s small red car sat in the driveway, prepared for our journey down south and into the beautiful Kent countryside.

  I loaded our cases into the trunk, trying not to listen to the smooching and sweet talk between Helen and Gunner as he walked her to the car.

  The morning air was chilly, spring still fighting with winter to break through. There were early blossoms on the trees and hints of green peeking up between the rich brown earth. It wouldn’t be long before the winter sweaters went away and the frosts vanished from the grass.

  “Come on. We can’t be late.” Helen hurried past me and hopped into the driver’s seat.

  I shook my head at her. Like I’d been the one dragging my heels and smooching with my guy. If only I had the chance to.

  I let Flipper into the back of the car. He loved this car. It was his favorite place to take a long nap.

  Climbing in next to Helen, I keyed in the sat nav directions to our new home, the village of Old Tubbington.

  We got to the end of the road, and Helen indicated a left turn. I looked both ways. I wasn’t watching out for traffic but for Zach. I really didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. It felt strange leaving without seeing him.

  “I’m so excited about this job,” said Helen. “I can’t believe they took me on when I have no formal cooking qualifications.”

  “The family sounds relaxed.” I settled into my seat and pushed away my disappointment. He was not coming. “I did a bit of digging on them after Josie sent the information.” Josie was my contact at Prestige Recruitment Agency. She was great at finding me new personal assistant jobs.

  “They sound like new money,” said Helen.

  “They’re Internet millionaires. It’s the son we’ll be working for, Alex Hudson. Although, his mom hired us.”

  “I bet he’s thrilled about that,” said Helen. “His mom made him hire staff. I hope he’s not some over entitled brat.”

  “He is young,” I said. “I’ve seen pictures of him online. In fact, he’s everywhere online. This guy knows his way around the Internet.”

  “He made his money in online apps, isn’t that right?”

  “Apparently so. He created a dating app that’s popular,” I said, “and video games. He’s on YouTube as well. He’s got over a million people following him.”

  “What sort of videos does he upload?”

  “Gaming videos. He’s into fantasy violence games. Wizards and warlocks killing each other. Alien attack stuff and something called Bog Globs.”

  “How dreadful,” said Helen.

  “It’s not my sort of thing either,” I said. “I used to enjoy Pacman, though.”

  “Maybe he’ll let us play some of the retro games if he knows what they are.”

  “Perhaps he’ll introduce us to a whole new world of gaming fun.”

  “It will not be like our old place then,” said Helen, “all that good food by the seaside and lots of lovely wine.”

  “Not to mention two killers and a secret love child.” I grinned at Helen. “I loved Cornwall, though. But, with Honey selling the house and Julianne hiring a manager to look after the vineyard, there was nothing for us to do. We had a good six months. They did say we can go back any time we want a free wine tasting holiday.”

  “It’s for the best we didn’t stay any longer,” said Helen. “That job meant we could afford to furnish our whole house and have some left over.”

  “Are you saving for something special?”

  “Gunner has mentioned he might like a holiday.”

  “You’re going away together?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” said Helen. “We are dating.”

  “I had noticed. All the kissing and baby talk is impossible to avoid.”

  Helen grinned at me. “You and Zach can come with us.”

  “It’s not a terrible idea.” I plucked at a loose thread on my sleeve.

  Helen gave me a worried look. “Are you still having problems with the whole Amelia thing?”

  “I still don’t know what she wants.”

  “She’s doing it deliberately,” said Helen. “She wants to cause trouble because she’s jealous of your relationship with her husband.”

  “They’d been separated for years before she died,” I said. “Amelia has no claim on him.”

  “She might feel territorial,” said Helen. “You’re serious with each other, and Amelia doesn’t like it.”

  “Why turn up now? She’d been dead for months before the problems started.”

  “It could be she only realized Zach was serious about you when you moved in together,” said Helen.

  “I guess so. I just wish she’d either leave us alone or tell me what she wants. Then I can help her get it and get her out of our lives.”

  “Has any more of your stuff gone missing?”

  “Amelia has stopped stealing my underwear, which is a good thing. But Zach is still having things going missing. It turns up in the oddest places. He found his razor inside his toolbox the other day.”

  “Amelia hasn’t touched my things anymore,” said Helen. “If she does, I will have words with her.”

  “Good luck with that,” I said. “She’s ignoring everyone but Zach.”

  “You’ll figure it out. You and Zach are meant to be together. No moldy old ghost will spoil that.”

  I didn’t feel too convinced. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right,” said Helen. “Now, sit back and relax. All you need to worry about is enjoying the scenery as we make our way to Kent and our lovely new jobs.”

  I forced myself to relax as Helen whizzed onto the motorway. She was right. I’d figure out the problems with Amelia and Zach. I wouldn’t let any ghost spoil our relatio
nship.

  Chapter 2

  It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at the house in the charmingly named village of Old Tubbington.

  From the cute little thatched cottages and beamed houses we’d swept past, I’d assumed we’d be working in something similar. The house in front of us was a large, white detached modern structure, made of chrome, concrete, and huge sheets of glass. The roofs were all flat.

  “This is what they call a contemporary style dwelling.” From Helen’s wrinkled nose, I could tell she wasn’t impressed.

  “It’s modernist.” I climbed out of the car and let Flipper out. “Maybe it’s an eco-home. Look at all the solar panels on the roof. The electricity bills are probably only five pounds a month.”

  “Give me a low-ceilinged cottage that leaks heat any day,” said Helen. “Much cozier and full of character.”

  I looked up as I heard a small plane flying low over the house. It circled overhead before returning the way it had come.

  The front door of the house opened. A woman with a dark neat bob, wearing a tailored cream suit, walked out. She strode down the steps toward us, her hand already extended. “You must be Lorna and Helen.”

  I smiled and shook her hand. “I’m Lorna Shadow. This is Helen Holiday.” I looked around for Flipper, who was investigating a flower bed. “That’s Flipper, my assistance dog.”

  “Good to meet you all. I’m Camilla Hudson. I spoke with your agency about you. I’m so glad you could come. We’re in dire need of your services. Well, my son is.”

  “We’re happy to help,” I said. “I’m looking forward to meeting Alex.”

  “Excellent. My son is a genius, but he hasn’t got an ounce of common sense. I assure you, if I didn’t keep a sharp eye on him, that boy would be penniless and homeless.”

  “He can’t be that bad,” said Helen.

  “He is,” said Camilla. “Alex comes up with incredible ideas that make him wealthy, then forgets to invest it into anything sensible. Don’t get me started on his paperwork. Lorna, don’t take any nonsense from him. He needs your help and guidance.”