Ghostly Business

by K E O'Connor

  “Don’t be daft. But she could be feeling guilty and is giving off a strange vibe the cats are picking up on. They’re sensitive to human emotions just like dogs.”

  “A guilty vibe as in I-killed-my father-and-am-trying-to-conceal-the-fact sort of thing?”

  “Why not? If there was a cat in the room when Tabitha smothered Leo, every time she sees a cat it will remind her of what she did.”

  “She does give out mixed signals,” said Helen. “And claiming she likes cats but then they all run away from her is weird. And she said she loves the cats but can't be bothered to fight to keep the sanctuary here.”

  “I saw Leo in the garden yesterday, but he doesn’t think Tabitha has anything to do with his death. But maybe the cats know better.”

  “You think we should start questioning the cats?”

  That comment earned Helen a shove. “No! But I do think they’re picking up on something strange about Tabitha. We need to keep an eye out for her.”

  “A cat hating killer.” Helen shivered. “Can’t think of anything worse.”

  I shook my head. Sadly, I could, and we'd met a few of them in the past. “Come on, we need to get to work or Lady Cordelia will start complaining.”

  Chapter 12

  I’d been on the phone for three hours, phoning all the animal sanctuaries I’d discovered, to try to find homes for our unwanted cats. Things were not going well.

  “And you’re sure you’ve got no spare cages? You can’t even take half a dozen cats from us?”

  “I’m sorry my love,” said the elderly lady on the other end of the phone. “I wish I could help you, but there are so many animals needing our assistance. And it sounds like you’ve got a good setup already. I’m sure you can keep them for a bit longer.”

  “I really need your help. The owner of the sanctuary is considering having the cats put to sleep if I can’t find them somewhere else to go.”

  “That's a shame,” said the woman. “I wish I could magic up more room. I’ve got your details and will give you a call if we get any vacancies. But we have a waiting list of three months. We’re not going to be able to assist you.”

  I briefly considered begging, I was so desperate to find places for the cats, but knew the lady was doing her best. We said our goodbyes and I slumped into my seat. Every conversation had been the same; there were so many unloved animals and no room for them. And I wasn’t going to let Lady Cordelia get rid of the cats by having them killed.

  Lady Cordelia walked into the study and raised her eyebrows when she saw me. “Don’t you have any work to do?”

  I tapped the list in front of me and sat up straight. “I’ve been working my way through these animal sanctuaries. So far, none of them can help us with the cats. Looks like they’re here to stay for a while.”

  “What have you offered them?” asked Lady Cordelia.

  “Well, I’ve offered them the cats,” I said. “What else was I supposed to offer?”

  “Give me that list.” Lady Cordelia snatched up the list of sanctuaries before I could pass it to her. “You do realize these are all charities?”

  “I do,” I said.

  “And charities are always in need of money.”

  I slowly exhaled. I must not lose my temper with my employer. “You want me to bribe them into taking the cats?”

  “Not a bribe, but simply offer them a generous donation and a few cats at the same time.” Lady Cordelia smiled thinly. “Charities never have enough money, and by helping us with our cat problem, we can help them.”

  “So long as the cats get somewhere decent to go to,” I said. “I don’t want the charities put under pressure to take them.”

  “They’ll be fine. Let me show you how it’s done.” Lady Cordelia picked up the phone and dialed one of the telephone numbers on the list, before shooting me a cold smile.

  I returned the smile, not liking to see how money could be misused in this way.

  “Everybody has a price,” said Lady Cordelia. “We just need to find out what the charities price is and offer it to them.”

  I nodded and looked over at Flipper who was snoozing in a patch of afternoon sunshine filtering in through the window. I had to remember this was for the cats. If a bribe was what it took to get them new homes then I’d just have to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and let it happen.

  “Hello. This is Lady Cordelia Babington. I would like to offer a donation to your charity.”

  I watched as she nodded and tapped her neat coral painted nails on the desk.

  “Yes, I know how good the cause is and what excellent work you do. And I’d like to offer you a donation of five thousand pounds.”

  From where I was sitting I could hear the excited babble of the person on the other end of the phone. I guess they didn’t get these kinds of offers too often.

  “That’s all very good,” said Lady Cordelia. “And I wonder if you might do me a tiny favor in return for this donation? I have six cats who need new homes. They have all been well looked after but there is no longer a suitable place for them. If you can help me out with this I’d appreciate it. I can send them along with the donation.”

  I really hoped the person on the other end of the phone would stick to their morals and realize what Lady Cordelia was doing, but the smile on her face suggested otherwise.

  “That’s excellent,” said Lady Cordelia, her smile turning smug. “I’ll have the money and the cats with you soon.” She placed the phone down and looked at me. “You see, offer them something they need and they’ll do anything for you.”

  I nodded, but it didn’t feel right, bribing desperate charities who needed money, and then adding conditions to that donation.

  “Can I trust you to get back to the other sanctuaries you’ve contacted and see if a little money will make the cats disappear that bit quicker?” Lady Cordelia handed me back the list.

  “I’ll make a start on the calls,” I said.

  Lady Cordelia walked around to the other side of her desk and pulled out a chair. “Oh, for goodness sake!”

  I looked up in surprise at her outburst. “What is it?”

  “One of those wretched cats has been in here and left an enormous fur ball on my seat.” Her nose wrinkled as she backed away from the seat.

  I fought hard not to smile. It was as if the cats knew Lady Cordelia no longer wanted them, and were having their own sort of revenge on her. Good for them if that was the case. I hoped there’d be plenty more fur balls appearing on Lady Cordelia’s seat, along with a few well targeted piles of vomit in some of her designer shoes.

  There was a knock on the study door and Sebastien poked his head in. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.” He smiled when he saw me.

  “Sebastien, darling, it’s lovely to see you.” Lady Cordelia hurried over to him, smoothing down her sleek hair as she did so.

  “I wanted to see if you were free to go for a late lunch or an early dinner,” said Sebastien. “What would you call an early dinner? Afternoon tea?”

  Lady Cordelia fussed with Sebastien’s hair as he spoke, and I watched with interest as he struggled not to flinch away. She needed to stop fussing over him like he was a toy or their relationship wouldn’t last.

  “That’s a lovely idea,” said Lady Cordelia. She looked over at me. “Can I rely on you to get on with the work I’ve given you? Don’t take no for an answer from any of them.”

  “What are you doing?” asked Sebastien.

  “Getting the cats rehomed,” I said.

  Sebastien frowned. “I like having the cats about.”

  I was surprised to hear that, since Sandy suggested he was the reason Lady Cordelia wanted them gone.

  “We can keep one or two if you really have to have a cat around,” said Lady Cordelia. “We’ve got too many here, though. And they remind me of Leo. It’s time I moved on.”

  Sebastien nodded. “I understand that. I imagine you’ll do what’s best for the animals and make sure they a
ll get lovely places to live.”

  I pinched my lips together. She wouldn’t if she had her own way.

  “Of course. Now, let’s talk about something interesting,” said Lady Cordelia, as she guided Sebastien to the door. “We need a romantic weekend away together.”

  “Just the two of us?” Sebastien tugged at the collar of his shirt.

  “It wouldn’t be all that romantic if I brought along all the staff as well.” She flashed me a smile. “Paris is lovely this time of year. Or we could try Italy. Have you ever been? It’s so beautiful.”

  Sebastien rubbed his forehead. “I like the idea of getting away from it all, but I’ve got a lot on right now.”

  “We could make it a romantic winter getaway instead.” Lady Cordelia wrapped an arm around Sebastien’s waist, seeming to forget I was in the room. “Just imagine the two of us in front of a roaring fire, sipping mulled wine and enjoying ourselves. We so rarely get to spend any time together.”

  I focused on the list of animal sanctuaries and tried to tune out of their conversation, just in case Lady Cordelia started sweet talking in poor Sebastien’s ear.

  “I’ll check my diary and see when I’m available,” said Sebastien. “But you know I have commitments.”

  “If it’s only your silly charity duties you shouldn’t worry about that,” said Lady Cordelia. “You don’t have to do the work for them. It’s not as if they pay you.”

  “I do it because I want to,” said Sebastien, his tone sharp. “I get a lot out of doing my charity work. And I can’t let them down just because you want to go away and have some fun.”

  “No, well, think about it,” said Lady Cordelia. “We’ve been together a while now, and we’ve yet to have a holiday. And it will be my treat, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “I will think about it.” Sebastien's phone rang and he pulled it out of his jacket pocket and looked at the caller display. “I need to take this.”

  Lady Cordelia watched Sebastien leave the room, a girly smile on her face.

  As much as Lady Cordelia was into Sebastien, I got the impression he was lukewarm to her. I could understand him getting annoyed by her clinging and constant fussing, but he almost seemed repulsed by her. Maybe Julius and Tabitha were onto something when they said Sebastien was only in this relationship for the money and free holidays.

  “I need to make some private phone calls before I go out with Sebastien.” Lady Cordelia pulled out her chair and then grimaced as she saw the fur ball again. “Give me twenty minutes and then you can get on with your own duties.”

  “Of course.” I hopped up from my seat and headed to the door. Flipper was still soundly sleeping in the sun, so I left him to it and hurried out in search of Sebastien. I wanted to talk to him and see if I could figure out what he was really doing with Lady Cordelia. If he wasn’t in this relationship for love, and decided to target Lady Cordelia for her money, he'd have had to get rid of Leo before standing a chance of getting access to the estate and all its wealth.

  I had a quick look in the downstairs rooms, but he wasn’t in any of them. I pulled open the front door and walked out into the autumnal afternoon. I could hear a man talking, and hurried closer to the sound, convinced it was Sebastien.

  Sebastien appeared around the corner of the building, turned on his heel and paced away.

  I ducked behind a bush before he saw me and listened into his conversation.

  “I can’t do this any longer,” said Sebastien. “She’s getting too much.”

  I raised my eyebrows. He must mean Lady Cordelia.

  “She’s talking about going away together, just the two of us. Can you imagine what it would be like to be trapped in a room with that woman? I don’t think I’d come out alive.”

  Sebastien really didn’t like Lady Cordelia.

  “And you know what she’s going to make me do.” Sebastien’s tone was mournful. “I’ve made as many excuses as possible, including the one where I want to save myself until after we’re married. But that’s only made her start hassling me into giving her a ring. I thought she’d get bored of me after a couple of months and I’d be able to get us what we need and get out before things got serious. But she’s acting like some starry-eyed teenager.”

  Although Lady Cordelia could be a bit of a bitch, I felt a sliver of sympathy for her. From the sounds of it, Sebastien was using her.

  “I’d better go. I promised I’d take her out this afternoon. Maybe I can get her so drunk she passes out and I can have the night off. Honestly, she’s got arms like an octopus. I’m always finding her hand on my backside or somewhere else it shouldn’t be.”

  I shoved my hand over my mouth. I wasn’t sure who I felt sorrier for, Sebastien or Lady Cordelia.

  “And that’s not funny!” said Sebastien. “You try being in a relationship with Lady Cordelia and see how much work it is.”

  I jumped as something soft and silky pushed past my legs. It was a skinny grey cat with enormous amber colored eyes. It gave a soft meow and blinked up at me.

  I pressed my finger to my lips, hoping the cat wouldn’t give away my position and reveal me to Sebastian.

  The cat meowed louder and pawed at my leg.

  I knelt down and stroked the cat, hoping to keep her quiet, but only made her more excited.

  I shooed the cat gently away with my hands, but she refused to budge, and danced out from behind the bush, looked back at me and made the loudest meow I’d ever heard.

  “Lorna! What are you doing behind the shrubbery?”

  Chapter 13

  I scrambled out from behind the bush, trying to make my sudden appearance look completely normal and not as if I’d been eavesdropping. “I was just admiring the foliage.”

  “I didn’t know anybody else was out here.” Sebastien looked at the phone in his hand. “I was talking to a friend.”

  I decided to come clean. “I sort of heard some of your conversation. And it sounded like more than a friend to me. It also sounds like you don’t think much of Lady Cordelia, even though you’re supposed to be dating.”

  “You misunderstood what you heard,” sputtered Sebastien.

  “Explain it to me?” I said. “Why are you seeing Lady Cordelia if you don’t like her?”

  “I am fond of Cordelia.” Sebastien scuffed his polished shoes across the gravel. “But she can be difficult at times.”

  “You’re taking advantage of her,” I said. “Lady Cordelia doesn’t deserve that. If you’re only using her you should end things before she gets hurt. She likes you and you shouldn’t lead her on.”

  “Oh dear.” Sebastien ran a hand through his hair. “This has gotten out of control. I never wanted to cause anybody pain. But I’m hurting myself, Cordelia, and Jasper.”

  “Who’s Jasper?”

  “My boyfriend.” Sebastien shot me a guilty look. “He’s wonderful. He’s an artist but is struggling for money.”

  “You and Jasper decided to take advantage of Lady Cordelia and get your hands on her cash?” I asked. “That’s not a great thing to do. She must be lonely after Leo died and you've abused that.”

  “And I know it,” said Sebastien, not looking me in the eye as he spoke. “It was Jasper’s idea. Last year, he was commissioned to do a couple of pieces for Leo, portraits of cats who’d died, and he wanted some sort of memorial for them. When Jasper was here, he saw how wealthy the family was. He needs start-up capital so he can establish himself as an artist, get a new studio and a whole host of materials.”

  “He should go out and earn some money to pay for all of that.”

  “I’ve suggested that, and I help him when I can, but you heard Cordelia say I don’t make much money. I volunteer at a number of charities because I love the work they do. I’m dependent on Cordelia, and Jasper is dependent on me to get enough money to keep us both going.”

  “So what were you planning to do?” I asked. “Steal from Lady Cordelia?”

  Sebastien waved his hands at
me. “Not so loud, someone might hear.”

  “And you wouldn’t want that!”

  “No, I wouldn’t!” Sebastien sighed. “But I wasn’t going to steal. I was going to ask for an investment in a business idea. We haven’t got the details figured out, but we were creating a business plan to make everything legitimate. If we could just get our hands on half a million we could head off somewhere exotic, like Hawaii or even Thailand, buy a place, and Jasper could do his art and I could focus on my volunteering, and we’d both be happy.”

  “Lady Cordelia would be miserable, though,” I said. “And she’d be down half a million pounds. That sounds a lot like stealing to me.”

  “Cordelia has many millions in the bank,” said Sebastien. “I’ve seen some of the statements, so I know she wouldn’t miss the money.”

  “But she would miss you,” I said. “She is fond of you. It could break her heart if you decided to leave.”

  “And I realize that now,” said Sebastien. “But when we first started this, I saw things the same as Jasper; Cordelia was an entitled, privileged rich woman who spends her money on ridiculously expensive pieces of furniture and designer clothes, when she should be investing it into helping others, or giving money to charity. I sometimes have to prise the cheques out of her fingers for the causes we’re involved in. She doesn’t give away anything without getting something back that benefits her.”

  I nodded as I recalled how Lady Cordelia used her donation to the animal sanctuary to get what she wanted.

  “You aren’t going to tell her about me, are you?” asked Sebastien, his face pinched with worry.

  “No, but I think you should be the one to tell her what you’re doing,” I said.

  Sebastien grabbed hold of my hand. “I know it’s wrong what I’ve done, and I will make amends. I’ll let her down gently, let her know we can’t keep seeing each other. Perhaps I could say I’ve been offered a volunteering opportunity in deepest darkest Africa. I know she’ll never follow me out there, she likes to stick to her European breaks.”

  “Let her down gently, and do it without stealing from her,” I said.