The Ghost Detective Books 1-3 Special Boxed Edition: Three Fun Cozy Mysteries With Bonus Holiday Story (The Ghost Detective Collection)

by Jane Hinchey

  We stopped to reload, and I paid attention to every movement Galloway made. He’d brought along the Glock and Smith & Wesson that had been in Ben’s gun safe. He handed the former to me. “Try this. We’ll do one-handed now.”

  “Right.” Why he wanted me to try one-handed when I couldn’t hit a non-moving target using both hands was beyond me, but I dutifully faced the target and held my arm straight out in front of me. Galloway maneuvered me until I was side-on, his hands on my shoulders.

  “Sideways to the target,” he said, brushing my hair away from my neck. “Look along your shoulder, down your arm, straight line to your sights.” I did as instructed, trying to ignore the heat curling through me at his nearness.

  “Hold it firmly. Legs apart.” I was sorely tempted to turn around and plant one on him when his hand flattened against my hip and pressed me against him, my butt snug against his groin.

  “Breath in.” I sucked in a breath. “Focus.” I eyeballed the target lined up in my sights. “Breath out.” I released the breath I’d been holding. “Squeeze gently.”

  I fired, and to my utter surprise, I hit the target. Well, the paper surrounding the target, but at least I hit something this time.

  “Great job. Try again, this time on your own.” He stepped away, taking his heat with him. I missed it, missed the distraction of him, but more importantly, without that distraction, my focus returned. Standing side on to the target, I shot off round after round, hitting the target twice. Not a bullseye by any means, but I’d hit the outer circle, and I was prepared to take that as a win.

  “Well done, Fitz!” Ben shouted, and I smiled weakly. The gun didn’t feel natural in my hand like Ben had said it would. He’d promised that once I got used to the weight of it, the feel of it, it would feel right at home. It didn’t. It felt like I was visiting Great Aunt Bertha and having high tea using her best china. I didn’t have a Great Aunt Bertha, I didn’t drink tea, and the thought of handling delicate china was enough to have me breaking out in hives.

  I dropped my arm to my side, deflated. “I don’t think this is for me.” I’d forgotten to take my finger off the trigger and shot a round into the ground next to my foot. I hopped sideways in fright, squeezing the trigger again and shooting off another shot.

  “Hey!” Galloway stepped into my personal space and ran his hand down my arm to retrieve the gun. “This is your first go at it. It takes practice.”

  Pulling my ear muffs down, I squinted at him. “What?”

  “I said, great work for your first time.”

  “I was crap.”

  “You hit the target.” He pointed out. “That’s a win.”

  “I guess?” I wasn’t convinced today could be labeled a success. “If the dirt was the target, then I nailed it.” Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I checked the time. “Oh, God. Look at the time. I promised to drop in and see Mrs. Finley.”

  “Your new client?”

  “Yeah. Ben thinks it’s a waste of time.”

  “Oh? Why’s that?” Galloway released the clips from both guns and packed them away in the black sports bag from Ben’s closet. When Galloway had come downstairs carrying the bag, I’d had a vivid flashback of Ben doing precisely the same thing. It was almost as if an image of Ben was overlaid onto Galloway, and I’d been so overcome, and at a loss for words, I’d simply walked out to the car without a word. Even Ben’s scent lingered on the bag, and it was tugging at my heartstrings, months later, that I’d lost my best friend.

  “He thinks Mrs. Finley has lost the necklace and that there really isn’t a case at all.”

  “What do you think?” Zipping up the bag, Galloway tossed it over his shoulder and headed out. I followed.

  “I’m not sure. She’s convinced it was stolen.” Ben had accused me of letting my emotions sway my better judgment, that I had too much empathy with Anita Finley.

  “Come on, Fitz,” Ben whined, walking silently alongside us as we made our way out of the tunnel and into daylight. “You know I’m right. This case is a lost cause. Emphasis on lost.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you could do something helpful, like search her house for it?” I said, waiting while Galloway crossed to a metal box on the outside of the weathered shed that was the entrance to the tunnel and flicked the power switch. “If you’d bothered to come to our initial meeting, you could have found the necklace already, and the case would be solved.”

  If a ghost could blush, Ben would be blushing right now. As it was, he crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his chin. “I had important business to take care of.”

  I snorted. “I hardly call watching HSN important business.”

  “I never thought I’d miss shopping,” he sighed. “It’s a guilty pleasure that I truly miss.”

  “What does Ben think of your shooting prowess?” Galloway returned, slinging an arm around my shoulders and dropping a kiss on my cheek, his stubble scraping across my skin and making it tingle.

  “Tell him I think a blind monkey would have done better,” Ben replied.

  “A blind monkey?” I squawked. “I wasn’t that bad!” I went to sock him in the shoulder, but being incorporeal, my arm swung through the air and connected with nothing. My forward momentum was too late to stop, and I staggered, nearly knocking myself over. Galloway laughed and held me upright.

  “What did he say?” Galloway asked. Now that Galloway knew I could see and speak with my best friends’ ghost, life had been a lot simpler, albeit odd.

  “Nothing of any value,” I grumbled, composing myself. “But we’ve gotta go. I’m going to be late.”

  “I still think this is a waste of time.” Ben followed us to the car and seated himself in the back.

  “So you keep saying.”

  “I really think your time would be better spent studying for your exam.” He continued on. Honestly, on the nagging scale, Ben was worse than my mom.

  “Don’t remind me.” I turned and eyeballed him over the back of the seat. “I mean it, Ben. Don’t remind me. I know my PI exam is coming up, I don’t need you in my ear about it twenty-four-seven.” My stomach was in knots as it was.

  Galloway patted my knee. “You will be fine. You’ll ace it.” One of the many things I liked about Kade Galloway was not only how tolerant he was at having a ghost as a third wheel, but how he had the uncanny knack of following our conversations. Given that he only heard one side of it, it was quite a skill.

  “Tell me more about this case. Why doesn’t Ben approve?”

  I filled him in on the missing diamond necklace and how Ben thought it was simply lost, not stolen. By the time we arrived home, I’d finished the story and could tell by Galloway’s face that he was leaning towards Ben’s take on the situation. He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to stop him. “It doesn’t matter what you think. I took the case. It’s my case. Not Ben’s. Not yours. If I eventually come to the same conclusions the two of you have jumped to, then I will tell Mrs. Finley myself.”

  “Okay, okay. Point taken.” Then he kissed me, and any disquiet that had been rattling around inside my head vanished in an instant. This man could kiss. Winding my arms around his neck and ignoring the dig of the gear stick in my ribs, I practically purred.

  “Ahem?” Ben’s face appeared frightfully close, and I reared back with a squeak.

  “Don’t do that!” I gasped, hand to my chest.

  “Ben, my man,” Galloway drawled in that rumbly, sexy voice of his. “Do we need to have a talk? No interrupting when we’re having… adult time.”

  Ben laughed and walked through the front of the car. “No, no, we’re good.”

  Through gritted teeth, I translated, adding, “he’s walking through the car. He knows I hate that. He’s being a dick.”

  “I heard that!” Ben called from outside. “But if you don’t stop sucking face, you will be late.”

  Darn him for being right. “He’s right. I will be late. I gotta run. We still on for lunch?”

&
nbsp; “Absolutely. Call me when you’re finished with your client.”

  A quick peck goodbye, and I hopped out of Galloway’s car and hurried to my own. My brand-new Honda CR-V was tucked up in the garage, and while I mourned Ben’s Nissan Rogue that I accidentally totaled, I was one hundred percent in love with my new ride. It was a gorgeous metallic blue, came with a push-button start and reversing cameras. It was, in short, perfection.

  Connecting my phone to the car’s entertainment system through the Bluetooth, I called Mom as I made my way to Anita’s house to discuss my findings from last night’s dinner. We’d agreed to meet at ten, and I had a little under five minutes if I wanted to be on time.

  “Audrey, love, how are you?”

  “Hey, Mom.” I took the corner a little fast in my hurry to get to Anita’s, and the tires screeched on the asphalt. I eased off the accelerator. Me and fast cars were not a good combination.

  “What was that?” Mom asked. “Are you driving?”

  “It’s fine, Mom. Hands free.”

  “Audrey…” I heard the stress and worry in her voice, and I couldn’t blame her. I was always doing something to send her blood pressure through the roof.

  “Honestly, Mom, everything is fine. Look, quick call ‘cos I’m on my way to meet a client, can I get your chicken pot pie recipe?”

  “Audrey Fitzgerald, are you planning on cooking?”

  “Har har, Mom. Can you just email it to me? Please?”

  “Planning a special meal for Kade?” She pressed, and I rolled my eyes. Yes, I was officially dating Captain Cowboy Hot Pants, Kade Galloway, the hottest detective in Firefly Bay. I could hardly believe it myself. Not the hot part, that was no contest. The cop part. Ever since Ben had been forced out of the force, I’d held a grudge against cops. They were dirty, and I didn’t trust them. But Galloway had managed to get under my defenses and convince me not all cops were bad. It helped that he was heading up a secret investigation into corruption within the Firefly Bay Police Department.

  “I thought it was time.” I sighed. “He needs to know what he’s in for.”

  Ben, who was riding shotgun next to me and had remained blissfully silent until now, snorted. “Got that right. Better get the poor guy some Alka Seltzer.”

  “Okay, darling, I’ll send it through. When’s the big date?” Mom said.

  “I haven’t decided yet. We’re meeting for lunch, so I’ll see what his shifts are like in the next week.”

  “Oh good, you can schedule in our family dinner with him as well. Don’t you think it’s time we all met him?”

  “Mom,” I whined, “y’all know the man already. It’s not like he’s a stranger.”

  She sniffed. “Well, yes, we know him to say hello to in the street, but we don’t know, know him.”

  “I’m not sure he’s ready for our family yet.” I protested.

  “Nonsense. Bring him tomorrow night. I insist.”

  “We’ll see. I’m not making any promises. Okay, gotta go, Mom. See ya.” I disconnected the call before she could get another word in.

  Pulling up at the curb outside of Anita’s house, I killed the engine. “You’re going to take Kade to family dinner?” Ben asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Ludicrous idea, right?”

  “He’s got to meet them sometime.” Ben pointed out.

  “Does he, though?” I climbed out of the car and slammed the door, hurrying down the front path of Anita’s house and ringing the doorbell. Within seconds the door was flung open, and Anita’s son, Tyler, stood looking at me, face initially filled with a warm smile of welcome that quickly slid into disappointment.

  “Not who you were expecting?” I asked. Tyler Finley was a blond, blue-eyed, teenage dream. At twenty, he was a very handsome young man, and I imagined he’d set many a young girl’s hearts to fluttering. I cocked my head, admiring the way he made blue jeans and a white t-shirt look like it was straight out of the pages of a fashion magazine.

  “If you’re looking for mom, she’s not here.” He looked over my head as if hoping to see someone else behind me.

  “Oh? Darn, I thought she said to meet here this morning… maybe she meant the historical society?”

  “Probably.” Tyler shrugged. “She wasn’t meant to be the clean-up crew, but you know Mom, always sticking her nose in. Doesn’t trust them to do the job properly.” He shut the door in my face, and I stepped back in surprise.

  “Okay,” I said under my breath, spinning on my heel and heading back to my car. Now I would be late because I’d turned up at the wrong meeting place.

  “I could have sworn she said to meet at her house at ten.”

  “Maybe something happened?” Ben suggested. “Maybe one of the cleanup crew didn’t turn up, and she had to step in?”

  “Possibly.” I fired up the engine, checked my mirrors, and pulled out. “Only one way to find out.”

  Last night had been a bust regarding the case. I’d chatted with Keagan and Noreen and hadn’t been able to glean anything useful from either of them. Just in case any of the other committee members could shed light on the missing necklace, I’d spent time with them too. Nothing. Nothing of interest anyway. Lots of gardening tips and multiple invitations to join the historical society, though.

  4

  There were two cars in the parking lot of the historical society slash museum, and neither of them was Anita’s. Never-the-less I pulled in next to them and went inside, wouldn’t hurt to check to see if anyone had seen her.

  “Oh, hey, Audrey, come to lend a hand?” Keagan Dunn approached with a garbage bag in hand and a twinkle in his eye.

  “Nope. I’m looking for Anita. Is she here?”

  “Haven’t seen her.” Noreen Bellamy called out as she walked past carrying a fold-up chair. “She may have been here earlier, though. Have you checked her office?”

  “She has an office?”

  Keagan dropped the bag and stripped off his gloves. “Here, I’ll show you. She’s often here on weekends. Poor love, I don’t think she has much of a home life if you know what I mean?”

  I followed Keagan from the modern glass structure of the museum to the rustic stone bricks of the historical society. The main door, a heavy wooden affair, was closed, and when he tried the handle, locked. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a set of keys. Noticing me watching, he said, “we all have a set.”

  “All?” That was a lot of keys to have kicking around.

  “Well, not the entire committee, obviously. But those holding official positions. The president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary.”

  “Right.” I nodded, following him inside. It was dim and cold on the other side of the door, and I shivered, rubbing my hands up and down my arms for warmth.

  The building was old but beautiful. A staircase led to the second floor, the green floral carpet and worn banister revealing its age.

  “Okay.” Keagan stopped. “You know this building was the old firehouse, right?”

  I nodded. “I do.” The bell tower on the roof was a giveaway.

  “This side of the building was the dorm rooms for the firemen on duty. And this side—” he pointed in the other direction, “is where they housed the equipment. Of course, the building has been renovated quite a bit since then, but we’ve managed to keep a hold of a lot of its original charm, I think.”

  “It’s lovely.” I agreed. But it was cold. And it smelled old. Musty. My nose twitched.

  “We hold the public functions in the old garage area, makes one nice sizeable room you see. And then there are offices, the kitchen and bathroom, and some smaller meeting rooms if required in the old dorm area.” He began walking, and I followed. “Anita’s office is just down here to the left.”

  “What’s upstairs?” I asked.

  “Mostly storage. It’s awkward up there, the roof trusses don’t allow for much space. We think it was mostly an access point to get to the bell tower.”

  He stopped in front of a closed-door then
rapped his knuckles on it. “Don’t think she’s here,” he said. He twisted the knob just to be sure, his face revealing his surprise when it turned, and the door swung open.

  “She usually keeps that locked, I assume?” I stepped past him and into Anita’s office. It was a squeeze. There was barely room for a desk and a filing cabinet.

  “She does.” Keagan nodded. “Well, suffice it to say she’s not here. You can leave her a message if you like?” He indicated the post-it notes lying on her desk.

  “That’s okay. I’ll call her. We had a meeting this morning at ten, only I thought it was at her house, but she’s not there either. I thought maybe she was here.”

  “She usually is. Like I said, she doesn’t have much of a home life. I overheard her and Lacey talking. Apparently, Logan is having an affair.” He leaned in conspiratorially, eager to pass on the gossip.

  “Really?” She hadn’t mentioned it to me, and I would have thought if you’d hire a private investigator to find a missing necklace, why wouldn’t you hire them to confirm your husband was cheating on you? “Do you think he is?”

  Keagan shrugged. “I will say I was surprised, I mean, an affair? How cliché.”

  “So you don’t think he’s having an affair?” Make up your mind, man.

  He chuckled. “Look, all I know is that Logan hasn’t been his usual self. I’m not convinced of the affair angle myself, but Lacey swears that must be it. Anita will only agree to the fact that he’s definitely keeping something from her.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get back and help Noreen finish cleaning up. Don’t know where Lacey got to, she’s rostered on as well, she should be here.”

  I stepped out of Anita’s office and waited while Keagan closed and locked her door. “So, there’s usually three of you on clean-up duty?”

  “Yeah. Only takes about an hour with three of us. Everyone takes leftovers home on the night, so we don’t have to deal with food. It’s more taking out the trash, packing up the trestle table and the chairs, and then giving the floor a good sweep — and a mop if it needs it.”

  “Okay. Well, thank you for checking for me.” I preceded him down the hallway and out the main entrance, waiting once more while he locked up.