Ghostly Play

by K E O'Connor

  As I carefully checked out Eva’s clothing, I could tell it was designer and tailored to fit her. She might protest about all the wealth, but it looked like she didn’t mind spending it. “I was just saying what a great house this is.”

  Eva shrugged. “It’s okay.” She looked at Helen. “What time will dinner be ready?”

  “Am I cooking tonight?”

  “Mom said you will do the cooking for us from now on.” Eva tilted her head. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

  “Yes! It is.” Helen flapped her hands in front of her. “I didn’t realize I’d be cooking tonight! I must check my recipes and then look in the cupboards to see if I’ve got everything I need. I wanted to make my first dinner something special.”

  “Don’t worry about showing off to us,” said Eva. “The food around here is usually instant and comes out of a packet. I eat out a lot. Or cereal, that’s good. I like Thai. Can you make Thai food?”

  “Absolutely! But not tonight.” Helen looked distraught.

  “Whatever you make, I’m sure it will be fine.” Eva gestured along the corridor. “Have you seen the kitchen yet?”

  “We have,” I said, gently pushing Helen out of the way as she flapped around, muttering under her breath about some spice I’d never heard of. “Helen will make you all something great.”

  Eva watched Helen panic for a few more seconds before shrugging again. “I’m heading down there if you want to come. I can show you where all the stuff is kept.”

  “Yes! Maybe I missed some of your supplies. Let me grab my recipes.” Helen dashed to her own room.

  Eva frowned and dabbed her fingers against her carefully drawn black eyebrows. “Is she always like that?”

  “It has been known.”

  “She should chill out. Stress is a killer.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  Eva looked at me. “I like your aura.”

  I looked down at my tan pants. “That’s not the brand I’m wearing.”

  Eva rolled her eyes. “I mean your aura.” She spread her arms in a circle. “You give off a good vibe.”

  “That’s nice to know.” I wasn’t sure I believed in auras. But then a lot of people didn’t believe in ghosts and I saw them all the time, so what did I know? “What does my aura show you?”

  “You’re open-minded,” said Eva. “You like to help people. You have a lot of silver mixed in there. That shows your cosmic mind is also open.”

  “I hope that doesn’t mean aliens will make contact any time soon. I’m not keen on being whisked away by little green men.”

  Eva snorted. “If that were to happen, they wouldn’t be little or green. And there’s no way men are smart enough to conquer space. Us women will be the ones to do that.”

  “So, I need to look out for large, alien-like women creeping through my window?”

  Eva frowned. “Maybe you’re not so open-minded.”

  “What about Flipper’s aura?” I looked down at him.

  Eva wrinkled her nose. “Animals don’t have auras.”

  Of course they didn’t. Why didn’t I know that?

  “I’ve got the recipes.” Helen ran out of her room, her treasured recipe file in her hands. “Let’s go make dinner.”

  Eva nodded and led the way down the stairs.

  “This wasn’t what I had planned,” muttered Helen as we followed Eva.

  “You don’t say.”

  “I was going to do a three-course extravaganza to wow everyone. I’ll be lucky if I can make one decent dish.”

  “Your food is always amazing. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “There is! I want to broaden my skills. It will make me more employable.”

  “You do fine for work.”

  “But sometimes, I want to offer more. You know I like to keep busy.”

  That was an understatement. A bored Helen was a dangerous one. She needed to keep her hands busy and her mind occupied; otherwise, she meddled too much in my business.

  Eva held the door open for us as we walked into the kitchen. “The pantry is at the end. We keep herbs, spices, and dried stuff in there.”

  “That’s a good start.” Helen walked over and opened the door. “Is there a food delivery coming soon?”

  “Not for another week.”

  Helen pulled out six packets of chicken flavored noodles and a tin of beans. “But this is all you’ve got in your dried goods pantry.”

  “There are the spices as well.” Eva wandered over to the pantry. “I put cayenne pepper on my noodles. We always have plenty of tomato sauce. That makes anything taste better.”

  “Well, that’s... inventive.” Helen placed the noodles back in the pantry. “What can I use in the fridge?”

  I followed her, Flipper also taking an interest when he saw the fridge door open.

  “This is a bit better.” Helen pulled out a carton of eggs, some peppers, and an onion. “I can do something with this.”

  “I don’t like eggs,” said Eva.

  “Oh, well, maybe you’ll have to stick to noodles for tonight,” said Helen. “Does your brother like eggs?”

  “I think so. We rarely eat together. He’s always stuck in front of his computer.”

  “Does he have friends over to play often?” I asked. Maybe Eva could shed light on who Alex’s ghost friend was.

  “Sometimes. Piers and Harriet hang out here a lot.” Eva picked at the hem of her shirt. “They’re not much fun to play with, though.”

  “Do you play on the computer with Alex?”

  “Sometimes. I have a good setup in my bedroom.”

  “You mean, you play together but in separate rooms?”

  “Sure, why not? It means I don’t have to put up with his fist pumping and hyperactive behavior if he beats me. We fight less if we aren’t in the same room. Plus, if Piers is around, I don’t have to put up with him staring down my top all the time. That guy is such a sleaze.” She adjusted the modest black vest top she wore under her black shirt.

  “You mentioned earlier you don’t always wear black,” I said. “Is there a reason you’re wearing it now?”

  Eva looked at her clothes. “I’m wearing it because I’m in mourning for Gregory.”

  Chapter 4

  “Who’s Gregory?” Helen looked up from her frantic beating of a bowl of eggs.

  “He was Alex’s best friend. He died recently.” Eva looked around the kitchen, worrying a hangnail on the side of her thumb.

  “You were close?” I asked.

  “Sort of. I liked him. We hung out a lot and talked about computer games. He was cool.”

  “I’m sorry to hear he’s dead.” Could this be our ghost friend? “Do you mind telling me how he died?”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t heard. The story made the national news; it was so weird.”

  I shook my head. “What happened?”

  “Gregory was shot by a drone in the middle of the night.”

  I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

  Helen stopped beating the eggs. The whisk she held out dripped raw egg onto the tiles. “Wait! I heard about that. Didn’t the drone malfunction? It was being tested at a private base. The drone went rogue. Some guy ended up in its firing line.”

  “That’s pretty much what happened,” said Eva. “That base you’re talking about is five miles from here. You can hear the planes go overhead sometimes. It’s supposed to be top secret, but everyone living around here knows what they get up to.”

  “What was Gregory doing out at night at a top-secret airbase?” asked Helen.

  “He’d just left here,” said Eva. “He’d often work through the night with Alex when they were planning their next big thing. Gregory didn’t drive. He biked everywhere. He’s got an apartment near the base. He was taking a shortcut through the fields when the drone targeted him.”

  “They’re testing dangerous weapons at this base?”

  Helen beat the eggs again. “They must be if that’s what ha
ppened to Gregory.”

  Eva nodded. “He was Alex’s friend. They met as kids, went to the same school. They were such geeks together, but so smart they got away with it. They won every school science prize going. Both of them got full scholarships funded by private companies to study computer science at Oxford.”

  “They went to university together?” I asked.

  “Gregory went. Alex dropped out after the first year. He reckoned he could teach himself better than some out-of-date professor, with a bow tie and patches on his jacket elbows. He was probably right.” Eva gestured at the kitchen. “Alex is the reason we live in this huge place. He paid for it in cash after his dating app took off and he sold it for mega bucks.”

  For someone so young, that was impressive. In fact, to have paid off your mortgage before you retired was a miracle. “Were Alex and Gregory in business together?”

  “Yes. They came up with a ton of great ideas,” said Eva. “Alex had a target of thinking up ten new ideas every day. He said if he kept doing that, at least one would be good. And, as much as I hate to praise my giant-brained brother, most were decent. He could have sold a hundred. Gregory was the details guy. He’d take one of Alex’s ideas and run with it, test out the market, see if people liked it. He’d profile the ideas, and they’d decide which ones to take forward. They worked well together. Gregory was a good guy. He got on with most people.”

  “He sounds nice,” I said. “You must miss him.”

  Eva’s bottom lip jutted out. “I sometimes think he didn’t know I existed. He was always thinking about a new idea or a new trick on a game he played. It’s why I got into gaming. I thought he’d notice me if I stepped into his world.”

  “I bet he noticed you.” I felt a twinge of sympathy for Eva. It must be hard when the guy you’re into barely notices you’re alive.

  Eva glanced at me. “I knew you had the kind of aura that made people open up to you. You have a way about you that makes me want to talk. I never want to talk.”

  Helen tapped her whisk against the edge of the bowl. “Lorna has an aura?”

  Eva nodded, and her gaze ran over Helen. “So do you.”

  Helen’s blue eyes widened. “What does my aura say?”

  Eva pursed her lips. “You have lots of red in your aura.”

  “That’s good?”

  “It means you’re very adventurous.”

  Helen smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

  Eva shot me a glance. “Yeah, lots of red is great. I’d better go. I look forward to dinner.” She left us in the kitchen.

  I pulled out my phone and searched the meaning of a red aura. “Maybe red isn’t the best thing to have in your aura.”

  “Eva said it was.” Helen looked up from chopping an onion. “Why? What have you discovered?”

  I repressed a grin. “Having a red aura does mean you’re adventurous in areas such as food and travel.”

  “Both true. What else?”

  “You have a strong body and mind.” I kept scrolling, trying to find more positive things about Helen’s aura. “And you’re generous with your energy, helping others when you can.”

  “Which is all great.” Helen’s eyes narrowed. “Go on, what else?”

  “You’re sexually adventurous and quick to anger. You tend to lose your temper at the smallest thing.”

  “What rubbish! I never lose my temper.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You can get a bit... flappy in stressful situations.”

  “I never flap.”

  My gaze went to the file of recipes. “Okay, you’re a picture of serenity and calm.”

  Helen crinkled her nose. “I’ll admit to being passionate about things. But as for the sexual stuff, that’s nonsense. I mean, I’m not a prude, but a lady must have her limits.”

  Flipper nudged me with his nose and gave a gentle whine.

  The surrounding air chilled, and Gregory appeared. He was a tall, thin guy, with large blue eyes and a gloomy expression on his face.

  “Let’s forget about your aura,” I said. “We’ve got more important things to focus on.”

  “I happen to think my aura is important.”

  “Auras aren’t even a real thing,” I said. “I was humoring Eva. Besides, we have company.”

  “Gregory?” Helen looked around the room. “Or does he prefer Greg? I think that’s a lovely name.”

  Gregory looked over at Helen and nodded.

  “Greg it is,” I said. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened to you. Eva was just telling us about the drone accident.”

  “Was it an accident?” asked Helen. “Is that why you’re still here, Greg?”

  Greg nodded.

  “You think the drone attacked you?” I asked him. “How do you know?”

  He mimed playing on a game controller.

  “You can’t have been controlling the drone,” I said. “You’d have hardly shot yourself.”

  He scowled and shook his head.

  “Somebody else was controlling the drone,” said Helen. “It’s one of those new trends, isn’t it, kids going to the park with their drones and spying on the neighbors.”

  “This wasn’t a kid’s toy by the sounds of it,” I said. “Any drone used by the military has got to be hard core.”

  Greg nodded, before running around the kitchen, shooting worried looks over his shoulder.

  Helen shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “What’s he up to? It’s getting freezing in here.”

  “I think he’s showing me he was chased by the drone,” I said.

  “It could have gone wrong,” said Helen. “Greg, slow down! It will get too cold in here and ruin my soufflé.”

  Greg slowed and looked at me.

  “The first time I saw you, you appeared next to Alex. Does he have something to do with your death?”

  Greg shook his head quickly.

  “You didn’t fall out over something?”

  He shook his head again.

  “Okay, so if you don’t think Alex was involved, what about Eva?”

  Greg’s eyebrows shot up.

  “She seems fond of you,” I said. “Were you close?”

  Greg’s mouth fell open. He looked at the doorway Eva had walked through. He drifted toward it and stopped. Returning to my side, he tilted his head.

  “What’s he doing?”

  I smiled. “Looking dumbstruck. You and Eva weren’t an item? She’s not a jealous girlfriend who gunned you down with a drone?”

  Greg’s image wavered, before vanishing.

  I let out a sigh. “I will have to take that as a no. He’s gone.”

  The kitchen door opened. Camilla walked in and looked at Helen’s cooking efforts. “I wanted to check on dinner. I hope you don’t mind cooking at such short notice.”

  “It’s not a problem.” Helen pasted a bright smile on her face. “It will be simple food tonight. I’ll make you something lovely once I’ve been shopping.”

  “That’s all we need,” said Camilla. “I’d suggest we lay the table in the dining room, but it’s impossible to pry Alex away from his games when he’s engrossed in a mission. I sometimes have to resort to cutting the power to get him to pay attention. We might as well eat in the lounge; otherwise, you’ll never see him.”

  “Dinner won’t be long,” I said.

  Camilla nodded. “Jolly good.” She sniffed the air, as if trying to figure out what dinner would be, and then left.

  “Eat in the lounge!” said Helen, the second Camilla had gone. “Is she going to make us sit with dinner on our laps while we watch Alex play games?”

  “It sounds like it,” I said.

  “We can’t eat soufflé off lap trays.”

  “It might make it taste better.”

  “You’re no help,” grumbled Helen, as she continued to attack the vegetables she was chopping.

  She was right, I was no help in the kitchen, but I could help Greg. If someone had shot him, then I wanted to know who and w
hy. I needed to find out more about this family and just what had happened to my sad-faced ghost.

  Chapter 5

  Half an hour later, Helen’s cheese soufflés were ready, along with Cayenne spiced noodles for Eva. She’d also made a balsamic glazed salad to go alongside it, with the wilting contents of the salad drawer.

  “Go tell everyone dinner is ready,” she said. “See if you can get them to the table.”

  I walked into the lounge, with Flipper by my side. My thoughts were still on Greg and what had happened to him. As I entered the lounge, a loud explosion rang out, and I ducked.

  Alex jumped to his feet and punched the air. “Take that, you flesh eating scum.”

  “I hate to interrupt anything important,” I said, as I stood up straight and smoothed down my hair, “but dinner is ready.”

  “Is it that time already?” Alex checked the wall clock. “I guess we can eat.”

  “Shall we have it at the table?”

  Alex was already slumping back on the couch, the game controller in one hand. “No way. Bring it through here. We always eat in the lounge.”

  I pressed my lips together and returned to the kitchen. Helen would not be happy to hear that.

  Personally, I didn’t mind the occasional dinner in front of the TV. It was a nice way to relax.

  Four soufflés sat neatly in their bowls as I entered the kitchen. “Shall I take these through?”

  “To the table?” Helen gave me a hopeful look.

  I shook my head. “Boss’s orders. He wants to eat in the lounge.”

  “For goodness sake.” Helen grabbed three plates and expertly balanced them on her hands. “You lead the way. If Alex asks for tomato sauce with his soufflé, it will end up on his head.”

  “I think that’s Eva’s condiment of choice.” I walked back to the lounge, carrying the rest of the food, and found Alex had been joined by Camilla and Eva.

  They both took their plates of food happily enough. When Helen offered Alex his soufflé, he frowned and shook his head. “I don’t like fancy food.”

  “This isn’t fancy,” said Helen. “It’s eggs and cheese.”

  “It’s not my thing,” said Alex. “I’m sure your food is lovely, though. Any chance I could have instant noodles like Eva? Or beans on toast?”