by K E O'Connor
By now, Flipper was barking excitedly with all the ghostly activity, rushing from ghost to ghost and snapping at the air as if he could scare them away with his teeth.
“What’s happening now?” Helen asked, her eyes wide and her hands covering her ample chest. “Is my backside safe?”
“Felicity’s arrived. She’s defending our honor.” I watched as Felicity dragged the ghost out of the room.
She flew back in a few seconds later and glared at the other woman. There was a tense stand-off before the other ghost vanished, leaving just Felicity.
I sank into a chair, exhausted and frozen from my encounters with so many ghosts.
Helen hurried over with a cup of tea and handed it to me. “It looks like you’re going to need Felicity as your protector while you’re in here.”
I took a sip of tea and nodded. “I don’t think these ghosts want anything other than to cause trouble. I can’t get distracted by them. There’s too much to think about with this party so close and Felicity’s murder to solve.”
“Speaking of which, we need to focus on our murder suspects. We’ve still got a lot of questions to ask.”
I nodded as I slumped back in the seat. My brain felt too cold to function. Feeling this exhausted after being in the house for a few minutes would not help me do my job and figure out what happened to Felicity.
At this rate, I wasn’t sure I’d survive until Halloween. There were too many ghosts, too many suspects in Felicity’s murder, and not enough clues to go on.
Chapter 11
The previous two days had been a blur of last-minute party planning. If I wasn’t chasing deliveries, I was checking guests’ requirements, paying invoices, and taking calls from people coming to the event.
I’d barely had enough time to stop for food, let alone focus on who killed Felicity and how they did it.
To make things more stressful, the annoying house ghosts were zapping my energy. Felicity did her best to keep them at bay. She looked terrifying when she flew through the wall, her pink hair flying, and slam dunked a pesky spook, but one or two of them would still sneak in and try to play with me.
It wasn’t only me they bothered. Although Zara couldn’t see them, she got the unpleasant side-effects of the drops in temperature, flickering lights, and power surges that killed our computers.
“Not again!” Zara threw her hands up in exasperation. “This place’s wiring is on the fritz. My internet connection cut out again, and I’m almost out of battery power.”
The last time that had happened, I’d discovered someone, most likely someone without a physical body, had pulled out the internet cable in the other room.
I hopped up from my seat. “Let me check and make sure everything is plugged in properly. Maybe it’s a loose wire.”
Zara ran her hands through her hair. “Thanks, but I’ve done enough for today. I’m done. If you want to finish up what you’re doing and call it a day, that’s fine. We got a lot done.”
I nodded as I looked at the carefully written action plan on the white board propped against the wall. Half the to-dos had been crossed through. “We’re getting there.”
“I see a light at the end of this spooky tunnel.” Zara looked around the room and shivered. “I’ll be glad to get back to the office. Any news on when the contractor is coming to assess the damage?”
“Nothing yet. I’ll give him another call and hurry him along.” I looked at the plate of orange iced cookies Helen had left us. “I think I’ll burst if I try another one of Helen’s themed party treats.”
Zara smiled and patted her stomach. “I’m the same. I’ll have to go up a costume size at this rate if she keeps feeding us so much.”
“Helen’s a feeder. She’s always shown her love through food.”
“Her husband must be a lucky man.”
“And he knows it,” I said. “I’ll go check on the cables and then finish up.”
“Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I headed along the hallway with Flipper into the room where the internet connection was. As predicted, the lights blinked orange, and the connection lead had been yanked from the wall.
I shoved it back in and waited as it rebooted. I looked around the room slowly for any signs of a suspect. “Whoever is doing this, you’re not funny. I’m going to tape this lead to the wall, so you can’t pull it out again.”
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. The caller ID showed it was Gunner.
“Hi, how’s it going?” I asked.
“I’m too busy to think straight, so I’ll keep this short. I’ve had a few minutes to look into your request about the dodgy people you’re working with.”
“Julius Fleur is top of our list,” I said. “What did you find out about him?”
“Nothing about Julius, that’s why I’m calling. The police are on their way to the house right now.”
I was so surprised I almost dropped the cell phone. “Who are they coming to arrest if it’s not Julius?”
“Luke Walsh. He skipped out on his probation a year ago.”
My heart raced. “Luke’s been in prison?”
“He got eighteen months. Got out after nine months for good behavior. As part of his probation, he has to stay in the same place and report in weekly to his probation officer. After six months, he decided he didn’t want to do that and vanished. That’s until you discovered him working for the Fleurs.”
“Is Luke involved with Felicity’s murder?”
“Good question. It’s one we’ll be asking,” Gunner said. “I’ve linked with the local police force and briefed them on the details. They know about his record and consider him dangerous. He’s not done anything to concern either you or Helen, has he?”
“Other than disrespect Helen’s cooking, he’s not done anything to make us think he’s dangerous. What did he get arrested for?”
“Theft. And, if he was up to his old tricks and stealing from Felicity, it’s a good motive for murder.”
I nodded. “If Luke got caught, he’d need to keep Felicity quiet. It’s weird, though. Someone told me they were close. They were seen together.”
“Which is an even better motive,” Gunner said. “Luke was stealing from Felicity and sweet talking her at the same time. He could have been stringing her along. Or, if they were lovers, they had a quarrel, and it got nasty.”
I’d had the same theory rumbling around my head. “When are the police arriving?”
“They should be there any moment,” Gunner said. “I got the call from them just now to say the arrest warrant has been issued and they’re on their way. Is Luke around?”
“I haven’t seen him, but he doesn’t often come into the house. He’s most likely working in the barns. I could go check.”
“No! Don’t get involved. Send the police straight there. You don’t want this guy on the run. He’s got quite a rap sheet. If he’s added murder to that list of crimes, I want you and Helen to stay away from him.”
“No problem. Will do. We won’t get involved.” I’d had the occasional throwing caution to the wind moment when it came to stopping the bad guys, but this time, it wasn’t worth the risk. If Luke was as dangerous as Gunner believed, the police were welcome to him.
“Make sure you don’t. Zach will skin me alive if you get caught up with a criminal like Luke.”
“You can reassure him that won’t happen.” I said goodbye to Gunner and hurried to the kitchen with Flipper to find Helen.
She was pulling a tray of bright orange muffins out of the oven as I entered.
“You need to come with me. There’s been a development in Felicity’s murder.”
Helen set the muffins down and pulled off her oven gloves. “What’s happened?”
“It’s Luke! Gunner discovered he’s got a criminal record and broke the terms of his probation. The police are coming to arrest him.”
Helen’s jaw dropped. “We need to stop him from leaving.”
“N
o! I promised Gunner we won’t get involved.”
Helen’s nose wrinkled. “Why didn’t he call to tell me this information?”
“Maybe he did. Where’s your cell phone?”
Helen looked around the kitchen. “It’s gone. I had it this morning. I left it on the table.”
“It could be a ghost messing with your things. They’ve been pranking us in the office by messing with the internet connection and pulling out the leads. They might have thought it was funny to pinch your cell phone.”
“Call it,” Helen said. “I can’t be without my phone.”
“We don’t have time to hunt for it now. Maybe you accidentally baked it in a muffin.”
Helen squinted at me. “As if I’d do such a thing. I do need my cell phone, though.” Her gaze went to the oven.
I relented, called her cell phone, and heard a faint, muffled ring.
“It’s in here somewhere.” Helen dashed to the oven and peered through the glass. “Not in there.”
I walked around slowly as I tried to locate the noise. “It’s coming from the pantry.”
“Oh, don’t go in there.” Helen hurried over and placed her hand on the door.
I raised my eyebrows. “What’s hiding behind the pantry door? Is it small and bald and quivers most of the time?”
Helen scowled at me as she inched the door open. Miltonia sat in a box full of soft blankets. She had a small bowl of water and an empty food bowl in front of her. Nestled in her blanket was Helen’s cell phone.
Flipper shoved his nose in the box and licked Miltonia’s head. She greeted him with an equally enthusiastic lick.
“I knew you couldn’t resist that adorable little face,” I said.
Helen sighed as she retrieved the cell phone. “It’s a face only a mother can love. She was whimpering at the door again this morning. I had to let her in. She must have snuck out and pinched my cell phone when I wasn’t looking.”
I peered at Miltonia. “Did you give her a bath?” There was a definite shine on her formerly dull tuft of head fur.
“She smelt musty. And Miltonia loved having lotion put on her skin. She squirmed around and even lifted her legs, so I could get to her little pits.” Helen smiled at Miltonia.
I laughed. “Welcome to the world of dog ownership.”
“No, this is short term. I’ll keep an eye out for her until we leave, but that’s it. I’m not ready to be a mom.” Helen walked away from the pantry. “Didn’t you say something about the police arriving to arrest a murderer? We should focus on that.”
She was smitten by Miltonia. I knew the signs. “Let’s wait outside for the police. We can direct them to the barns when they get here and make sure Luke doesn’t do a runner.”
We hurried outside, Flipper at my heel. I was surprised to see Miltonia following us. She was a scruffy little thing, with her enormous tuft of fur swaying in the chilly evening breeze and her comical fluffy feet. She kept close to Flipper as they ran along together. It looked like he’d finally worked his magic on her, and I was pleased to see she was coming out of her shell. She’d make the perfect pet for Helen.
As we rounded the side of the house, I slowed. A police car raced along the driveway toward us.
I waved at them, and they pulled up outside.
“We’re looking for Luke Walsh,” a policeman said as he got out of the car.
“He should be by the barns,” I said.
He was joined by another colleague, and they raced away.
I waited anxiously with Helen to see if they’d discover Luke.
“Do you really think he killed Felicity?” Helen asked.
“We didn’t have him at the top of our list, but he is there, and he does know about plants.”
“And it sounds like Felicity trusted him. Enough to let him handle her toxic plants? Enough to let her guard down and give him an opportunity to poison her?”
“Hopefully, we’ll know more when the police run additional tests. Then they’ll have to prove it was Luke who did it.”
It only took a few moments before I heard cursing. Luke was walked around the side of the building, his hands cuffed behind his back. The expression on his face was one of fury. He struggled in the police officers’ grip as they held him tightly between them and escorted him to the car.
“What the buggerations is going on?” Luke growled. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You skipped probation,” one of the police officer’s said. “We also have questions about the death of Felicity Fleur.”
“What the hell? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Luke glared at me and Helen. “Have you got something to do with this? Did you tell the police about me?”
“Other than the fact you’re rude and have a terrible palate, we know nothing about you,” Helen said.
He glowered at her. “I knew there was something dodgy about you two. You’ve been poking around ever since you arrived. You do work for the cops. You informed on me.”
“We don’t work for the police, and we’re not the ones who have been lying about having a dodgy past,” I said.
“I’m not like that anymore,” Luke said.
“Then what are you like?” Helen asked.
His shoulders sagged. “I like working here. I wanted a new start. This job came up, and I saw it as an opportunity to try again.”
“All you had to do was break your probation conditions to do that,” the police officer to his right said. “Some new start. Get in the back of the car.”
Flipper barked, alerting me to Felicity’s arrival. She flew around the police car, a worried look on her face.
“Something’s wrong with Felicity,” I whispered to Helen. “She’s not happy they’re taking Luke away.”
“Because she’s in love with him?” Helen said. “She doesn’t want to see her lover arrested for his crime of passion.”
“If he’s guilty of her murder, he deserves it,” I said.
Felicity flapped around the police as they opened the car door before disappearing. A few seconds later, the alarm on the car went off.
I covered my ears as I watched Felicity emerge from inside the car and try to bat away the police officers as if protecting Luke.
“I’ll deal with it.” One of the officers raced around and jumped in the car to silence the alarm.
I gasped as Luke barged the other police officer with his shoulder and made a break for freedom. Felicity was right beside him as he raced across the lawn.
“Get after him,” yelled the police officer in the car. They took chase, and Flipper joined them.
“Flipper! Wait!” My heart raced with worry. I didn’t want him at risk if Luke turned nasty.
Flipper chose to use his selective hearing and ignored my repeated calls to return as he easily outran the police officers.
Miltonia yipped several times, before chasing after Flipper, her tiny legs a blur as she tried to keep up with her much larger companion.
“Miltonia! Come back. It’s too dangerous.” Helen ran across the lawn in her heels and scooped the dog into her arms.
“Flipper!” I yelled at the top of my voice. I watched in horror as he launched himself at Luke and shoved him over.
Luke yelled and cursed as he slammed into the ground.
Flipper pinned him down until the police caught up. He hopped off and followed them back to the car with an angry-faced Luke between them.
“Your dog is well-trained,” one of the policemen said to me. “If he fancies a job working for us, he’d be welcome. I could never run that fast.”
“He’s got a full-time job with me but thanks for the offer.” I was torn between scolding Flipper for disobeying me and cuddling him and telling him what an amazing, fearless wonder dog he was. I chose the latter, wrapped him in a cuddle, and kissed his head.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Luke said. “I’m just a handyman.”
“A handyman with a criminal record,” the policeman said as he shoved Lu
ke in the back of the car.
“What’s going on?” Zara emerged from the house, along with Julius and Horatio.
“You need to look for a new handyman,” the officer said as he got into the car. “We’ll be in touch when we have any news.”
Zara’s brow furrowed. “News about what?”
I turned to her. “They’ve arrested Luke because he violated his parole.”
“Parole!” Julius took a step back. “We have a criminal working for us?”
“Not anymore by the looks of things,” Horatio said. “What was he inside for?”
“Theft,” I said. “At least, that’s what the police said.”
“Wait!” Zara hurried to the car. “Tell me what you’ve arrested him for now?”
“Your friend’s right. Luke Walsh violated his probation. We also have a few questions to ask him concerning Felicity Fleur.”
Zara’s hand went to her mouth as she gasped. “Felicity? What do you mean?”
“Are you family?”
“No, but she was my best friend.”
“We are family.” Julius hurried over with Horatio. “I’m her uncle, and this is her brother.”
The officer nodded. “We have reason to believe Felicity Fleur’s death was not an accident. We also believe Mr. Walsh could be involved.”
“This is outrageous!” Julius glared at Luke. “If you harmed my niece, I’ll have your head on a stick.”
“Easy now, sir.” The officer moved Julius away from the car. “We’re only asking questions for now. As soon as we have any useful information, we will let you know. We can’t say too much, but we have re-opened the investigation into what happened to your niece.”
Julius stroked a hand down his beard. “I don’t know what to say. Felicity was killed?”
“It’s a possibility. Can we reach you here if we have any questions?”
“Yes, of course. We must know if you think Luke was involved in my niece’s death.”
“Good. We’ll be in touch.” The officer got into the car, and they drove away with Luke in the back.