Ghostly Fright

by K E O'Connor

  “Good idea,” I said.

  Helen scattered the flour on the glass table in front of the couch. “This is fun. It’s like a cook’s version of a ouija board. Okay, ask away.”

  “What do you think about your Uncle Julius’s involvement in your murder?” I asked Felicity. “I know you aren’t convinced, but we caught him going into a casino tonight. He lied and said he was going to see a movie. Maybe he’s lying about more than just that. He’s got money problems.”

  Felicity shook her head.

  “She doesn’t think it was him,” I said to Helen.

  “Julius doesn’t care about Fleur de Bloom,” Helen said. “He might want a controlling share, so he can sell it. We wondered if he killed you to get his hands on your investments, but it didn’t work out.”

  Felicity traced her finger through the flour: No investments.

  “Which he knows now,” I said. “I bet it was a shock if he thought he’d come into a big inheritance when you were gone.”

  Felicity shrugged her shoulders, not looking convinced by this reasoning.

  “If this is connected to Fleur de Bloom, then we also need to consider Horatio and Zara,” I said. “Do you have any reason to believe either of them might have wanted you out of the way? Maybe they wanted a bigger share of the business.”

  Felicity shook her head again. She wrote in the flour: friend and brother.

  “You did fight with Horatio before you died,” I said. “Your brother might have held a grudge against you and wanted revenge.”

  Felicity scooped a handful of flour and blew it in my face.

  I coughed and waved the flour away.

  “I’m guessing that’s a no.” Helen handed me a damp cloth.

  “There’s no need for that,” I said to Felicity. “I get why you’re not sold on your brother being involved. Horatio seems cut up about your death. He misses you.”

  Felicity nodded.

  “You’re sure it wasn’t Zara? She does know which plants to poison you with. We discovered that you had a large amount of angel’s trumpet in your system.”

  Felicity’s eyes widened, and she held a hand against her stomach.

  “Do you have angel’s trumpet flowers in your greenhouse?” I asked.

  She nodded sharply and licked her lips.

  “That’s what killed you. The police have just confirmed it. They know you were murdered.”

  Felicity’s gaze went to the floor, and her shoulders slumped.

  “We still haven’t ruled out Barnaby,” Helen said.

  Felicity looked up and tilted her head.

  “You might find this upsetting,” I said to her, “but your boyfriend was seen with another woman before you died. Were you two exclusive?”

  Her brows furrowed, and she nodded.

  “If Barnaby was dating somebody else while you were alive, you wouldn’t have been happy about it, would you?”

  I recoiled in my seat and narrowly avoided getting another face full of flour. “A simple yes or no written in the flour will do. Stop taking your frustrations out on me. We don’t have to help you.”

  Felicity scowled but dropped the flour she held back on the table.

  “Were you having problems with Barnaby?” Helen held a cloth in front of her face to ward off any more flour attacks from Felicity.

  “She’s shaking her head,” I said.

  “Not wanting to be the target of her anger, but if Felicity was so focused on her work,” Helen said, “would she have known if Barnaby was unhappy? Did she have any suspicions there were problems?”

  Felicity traced a finger through the flour, making a swirly line. It looked like she was all out of ideas when it came to her killer.

  Flipper bounded back in through the door with Milly. He was chewing some bright green leaves.

  Felicity stared at Flipper and flew toward him.

  He saw her coming and backed away, growling as he did so.

  “What’s going on? What’s wrong with Flipper?” Helen scooped Milly into her arms.

  I jumped from the couch. “I have no idea. Felicity’s unhappy with him.”

  Felicity flapped her hands around Flipper’s head and swatted at his nose.

  He ran round the couch, making sure to stay out of her reach as she flew along behind him.

  I joined in the chase. “Flipper, stop upsetting Felicity, or she won’t give us any answers.”

  Flipper’s expression was confused as he sped up and Felicity continued to chase him around the couch.

  Milly barked and wiggled out of Helen’s grip, joining Flipper in the race around the furniture.

  I slowed my pursuit and shook my head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into these two.”

  Felicity vanished and appeared in front of Flipper. She grabbed the plants in his mouth and yanked some out. She threw them on the table and jabbed a finger at them. She wrote two words in the flour.

  As I leaned over to see what they were, my heart felt like it had stopped beating. She’d written: angel’s trumpet.

  Chapter 16

  “Flipper! Stop, right now.” I grabbed his collar as he raced past me. I ducked in front of him, shoved my fingers into his mouth, and pulled out the rest of the plant. I felt queasy as I studied it. Was this really angel’s trumpet?

  “He must have found what killed Felicity and wanted to show us.” Helen joined us on the floor, one hand on Milly and the other on Flipper.

  “He was chewing when he came in. He could be poisoned.” Tears filled my eyes as I ran my hands over Flipper. He wasn’t shaking or foaming at the mouth, but I couldn’t take the risk he hadn’t been harmed.

  “We need to get him to the vet.” Helen was on her feet, her car keys in her hand as she raced to the door, Milly once again tucked under her arm.

  I hurried Flipper out of the lounge and over to the car. My heart raced, and my vision was blurry with tears as I climbed into the back seat with him and held him on my lap.

  Helen searched for the nearest vet on her cell phone. “Okay, we’re ten miles away. I’ll get us there in five minutes.” She sped away from the house and flew along the narrow country lanes, breaking every speed limit ever imposed and terrifying the wildlife.

  As we screeched into the vet’s car park and jumped out of the car, a petite, dark-haired nurse was closing the front door.

  The nurse’s concerned expression went from Flipper to Milly. “Has someone been injured?”

  “Yes! It’s my dog, Flipper. He’s eaten a poisonous plant.” I clutched him to my side.

  “Right this way.” The nurse unlocked the door and hurried us through the reception and into an examination room. “I’ll call the vet. He only lives a few minutes away. You’re lucky to have caught me. I was just checking on our critical patients before turning in for the night.”

  Flipper whined and flopped to the floor. He never liked the vet.

  “Hurry up,” I muttered under my breath as I sat next to Flipper, his head in my lap and his wide blue gaze fixed to my face.

  “He doesn’t look sick,” Helen said. “Maybe he only ate a tiny bit. Flipper was trying to help. He wanted to show us the poisonous plant that harmed Felicity.”

  “How did he know what to search for?” I asked.

  Helen shook her head. “Flipper’s a smart dog. Maybe he sniffed it out. The plants could have been hidden in the greenhouse, and he decided to hunt for them.” She looked down at Milly. “I hope she didn’t eat any. She’s small. Any amount of poison could be harmful.”

  “I saw nothing in her mouth but get her checked over just in case.” I kept stroking Flipper, watching for any changes in his behavior to suggest he was feeling unwell.

  A tall, blond vet with bright green eyes hurried through the door. “I’m Iain Solomon. I hear your dog’s eaten something poisonous.”

  “Angel’s trumpet.” I climbed to my feet. “It’s a poisonous plant.”

  Iain knelt in front of Flipper, his expression calm as he checked
Flipper’s eyes, inside his mouth, and listened to his heart. “When did he ingest the plant?”

  “About fifteen minutes ago.”

  Iain nodded. “You did the right thing bringing him here so fast. Flipper’s heartbeat is rapid, and his gums are pale. The best thing to do is induce vomiting and keep him hydrated. That will clear the poison from his system.”

  The nurse appeared and laid out some equipment.

  “Where did your dog get hold of a toxic plant?” Iain asked as he stroked his hands along Flipper’s back.

  “We work at Fleur de Bloom,” I said. “They have poisonous plants in the greenhouses.”

  “Poor thing,” Iain said. “He’s not going to like this one bit. Do you want to stay with him while I administer the drugs to make him sick?”

  “Absolutely! I’m not leaving his side.”

  “And Milly needs looking at, as well,” Helen said. “I’m not sure if she ate any of the plant.”

  “Of course. You wait outside, and I’ll get Amber to look at your dog,” Iain said as he gestured at the nurse. “We’ll get this poor lad treated. You caught the poisoning early, so there will be minimal damage.”

  “Damage!” My heart clenched. “I don’t want there to be any damage.”

  Amber’s gaze was sympathetic. “We’re dealing with something nasty.”

  I felt like I couldn’t get air into my lungs. “You can save him?”

  “We’ll do our very best. Iain’s excellent at what he does.” She patted my hand. “Let’s get to work. You stay here and keep Flipper calm, and we’ll go check Milly.”

  Helen grabbed my shoulder and held on tight as I hugged Flipper to me, tears on my cheeks. He couldn’t die. I had to keep him safe. That was all that mattered. I didn’t care about the ghost-filled house, or the stupid Halloween party, or the greenhouse full of poisonous flowers.

  Flipper must live.

  ***

  Flipper had spent the night at the vet’s office, being monitored after having his stomach pumped. Although I’d stayed with him for as long as I could, Iain had gently shooed us out just before midnight and told us to go home.

  There had been nothing I could do but wait for a call from them, letting me know how he was getting on.

  The good news was that Milly was fine. The nurse had checked her over, and she had no symptoms of being poisoned.

  But I hadn’t been able to sleep or think about anything else as I’d tossed and turned all night, worrying about Flipper.

  A dull gray dawn was breaking as I had a quick shower and changed my clothes. My room felt empty without Flipper in it, and my heart was broken. He’d been my constant companion for years. I couldn’t let anything bad happen to him. He’d been trying to help us solve Felicity’s murder and had ended up sick and taken from my side.

  There was a quiet knock on my door. I opened it to find Helen outside, looking as bleary-eyed as I felt, Milly nestled in her arms. “Any news?”

  I let her into my room. “No. It’s too early to call the vet.”

  “Here, have a cuddle with Milly. It will make you feel better.” She passed me the dog.

  I cupped Milly in my arms. She was a cute little thing and no longer quaked in terror when I touched her, but it wasn’t the same as cuddling Flipper. My big, beautiful, fearless dog could never be replaced.

  Milly licked my chin, but her gaze was on Helen, her one true love.

  I gave her a quick cuddle and handed her back to Helen. “I feel so helpless.”

  “We did everything we could. The vet said Flipper would be fine.”

  “He said he’d have minimal damage.” I held a hand over my eyes until the tears were under control again.

  “Let’s do something useful while we’re waiting,” Helen said.

  I lowered my hand. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Flipper found angel’s trumpet. Let’s go see if we can find out where it is.”

  “And burn it!” No one should be anywhere near such a hateful plant.

  Helen tilted her head. “I was thinking it could be useful to the police in the investigation into Felicity’s murder, although I understand why you want it destroyed.”

  I sucked in a breath. Felicity had warned me about the poisonous plant when Flipper arrived with it in his mouth. I owed her one because of that. But every time I thought about Flipper chewing on that plant, my stomach dropped, and logical thought left my head.

  “Okay, that’s a good idea. It will distract me from checking my cell phone every thirty seconds to make sure I haven’t missed a call.” I pulled on my shoes and followed Helen and Milly out of the apartment to the greenhouses.

  “I’ve got loads of pictures of poisonous plants on my cell phone.” Helen pulled out her cell. “I spent the night researching them to see what we’re dealing with. I also found the ideal diet to feed Flipper to get him back on his feet and make sure he makes a full recovery.”

  I smiled tearfully and hugged her. She was a brilliant best friend.

  We crept through the dull morning light and into the greenhouse. It only took a few minutes of scanning the pictures Helen had found, and we were soon identifying the toxic plants.

  “This is deadly nightshade.” Helen pointed at a plant with black berries on it.

  “I think this is giant hogsweed. And this is foxglove.”

  Helen looked around the greenhouse. “But no angel’s trumpet in a pot.”

  I jumped as my cell phone buzzed and scrambled to answer it. My heart raced when I saw the number.

  “Hello, it’s Amber from the vet’s office.”

  “How’s Flipper? How did he get on overnight? Is he okay?”

  “I’m pleased to let you know he’s done really well. There were no problems after he was sick. He’s been on an IV all night, and the vet has given him the all-clear. I thought you’d like to know as soon as possible.”

  I grinned at Helen and gave her a thumbs-up. “Can I come to pick him up now?”

  “We don’t open for another hour, but I see Flipper is raring to go. You can come and collect him whenever you like.”

  “I’ll be right there.” I ran out of the greenhouse, Helen and Milly right behind me.

  “What did they say?”

  “He’s going to be fine.” I cried happy tears as Helen zoomed us back to the vet. Flipper was coming home. I was getting my fur baby back.

  I didn’t even wince as I paid the huge bill. I’d sell everything I owned to make sure he was well and healthy.

  Iain brought Flipper out to us in the waiting area. “He’s a fighter. Within a couple of hours of treatment, he was asking for food.”

  I laughed as I hugged Flipper. “He does love his food.”

  “Keep his meals simple for the next twenty-four hours. Plain chicken and rice. After that, start to re-introduce his normal food. Keep an eye on him, but I’m confident he’ll make a full recovery.”

  After thanking the vet numerous times, we left and headed back to the house.

  As we pulled up outside, Zara and Barnaby stood by the front door talking to each other.

  Zara looked at us and hurried over. “How’s Flipper doing?”

  I’d seen Zara late last night after we’d gotten back from the vet and told her what had happened.

  “Flipper’s on the mend,” I said as I let him out of the back seat of the car.

  Flipper sniffed around as if nothing had happened to him. My dog was made of strong stuff.

  “I was so worried about him,” Zara said. “I’m glad he’s better. Is there anything he needs?”

  “No, but I’d like to keep him in the office for the day to make sure he’s comfortable and ensure he rests. Then I promise I’ll get to work on the party.”

  “Of course, he’s welcome in the office. I’m not worried about the work. I know I can count on you to get things done.” Zara petted Flipper’s head and smiled at Milly. “I see she’s made a new friend.”

  Helen looked down at Milly. “O
h, yes! I hope you don’t mind. She has been spending time with me. Of course, you can have her back if you like.”

  Zara waved a hand in the air. “I wouldn’t dream of it. If you want her, she’s yours. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her so happy. She wasn’t doing so well with me, so I was thinking of re-homing her.”

  Helen ruffled the tuft on Milly’s head. “She is sort of cute. We’re considering a long-term option on our relationship.”

  I smiled as I saw the affection on Helen’s face. It was mirrored by Milly. I took Flipper to our temporary office inside the house and settled him on a comfy cushion.

  Helen came in a few moments later with a dish in her hand. “As directed by the vet, I got Flipper plain rice and chicken. I added a little broth, so it wouldn’t be so bland.” She placed the dish on the floor, and we watched as Flipper tucked into his food.

  Flipper raised his head from the food and looked around the room. A shiver ran down my spine as the temperature dropped.

  One by one, ghosts appeared. They hovered around Flipper, not touching him but all appearing concerned.

  Helen shivered and clutched Milly to her chest. “What’s going on? Why is it suddenly so cold?”

  I approached the ghosts slowly. Their focus was on Flipper. “It looks like the house ghosts are keeping watch over Flipper. Maybe they realize he’s been unwell and want to keep him safe.”

  “Everybody loves Flipper,” Helen said. “Of course they’re going to look out for him.”

  I smiled as the ghosts hovered at a respectful distance, forming a circle around Flipper. He regarded them solemnly before lowering his head and closing his eyes. He sensed they didn’t want to harm him.

  At that moment, I sort of loved the ghosts and forgave them for making me freezing cold all the time. Even the one who was obsessed with ladies’ backsides was there, his gaze fixed only on Flipper. If they were looking out for Flipper, they were all right in my book.

  Zara walked into the office. “Are you all settled in?” She nodded at Flipper.

  “He’s loving the attention,” I said, “in particular, the food brought to him, so he doesn’t even need to move to get fed.”