A Wild Ghost Chase

by Elle Adams

  She didn’t want the detective here. But why?

  “I don’t know, I can’t hear her,” he said. “What’s she saying?”

  “Just telling us to get out,” I said. “I’ve only heard her yell like that when you’ve been around. Not when I came here alone, or when Mr Renner and the construction workers showed up. She told me to go away, but she didn’t scream and start slamming doors the way she did then.”

  “I didn’t think she wanted any of us here,” he said.

  She talked to me when I came here alone. Not that I was keen to start another argument now he was finally on my side.

  “We’d better close those doors, anyway.” I shut the front door firmly, a new plan forming in my mind.

  If I wanted to get any answers out of her, I had to come back on my own later. Without the detective.

  Drew insisted on walking me home, and we parted ways outside the inn. “Are you sure you don’t want company for tonight? You’ve had a long day.”

  Heat crept up my neck, and I found myself glad Mart had opted to leave us alone for once. “Uh. I was going to eat at the restaurant—"

  The sound of a crash from inside the building made me jump. Drew peered over my shoulder through the glass doors. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s hurt, don’t worry.”

  “Guess I’m a little jumpy,” I said. “Because of the ghost. I’ll see what that was.”

  Not my smoothest exit, but the instant I walked into the lobby, I forgot all about worrying over Drew’s intentions. Inside the restaurant, someone had knocked an entire tray of drinks over. Carey’s mother hurried over to the mess, clearing it up with a wave of her wand.

  “Hey.” I walked through the adjoining door into the restaurant. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh—Maura,” she said in distracted tones. “Hayley never showed up for work, and we’re overrun here.”

  “Oh, no.” I knew they didn’t have that many staff, and Allie seemed to do most of the work herself. “Where’s Carey?”

  “She’ll have to take over on the front desk while I’m in here, but I hate leaving her alone.” She put her wand away, her expression frazzled.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” I might not have a ton of experience, but I didn’t want to leave the two of them to shoulder the burden alone. “I’ve worked as a receptionist before. I can help Carey out. Or she can help me out. One or the other.”

  “Is that okay?” she asked. “I wouldn’t pressure you, but there are so few of us as it is… hopefully Hayley is just running late, but she hasn’t called me. It’s not like her.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’m sure Carey can tell me where everything is.”

  “Grab something to eat first,” she said. “And—oh, was that the detective outside?”

  I spun on the spot, but Drew had vanished. So much for his hints about keeping me company. I hadn’t the time to ponder on his disappearance, so I grabbed a quick dinner and then met Carey in the reception area.

  “Hey,” I said. “Apparently, I’m your assistant now.”

  “Did Hayley never show up?” A worried frown appeared on her face. “It’s weird. I don’t think she’s taken a day off since she started working here last year.”

  “There aren’t any other staff?” I asked. “Isn’t it stressful?”

  “We can handle it,” she said. “I know where everything is in the restaurant, but Mum says I’m too young to sell alcoholic drinks at the bar. We have another girl who works in the bar part-time, but she’s not supposed to be in today.”

  “Lucky I’m here, then.” I hope. My job history consisted a lot of short stints in various places, most of which had ended in ghost-related disasters. At least Carey already knew of my propensity for attracting wayward spirits so it wouldn’t turn into an unwanted surprise.

  “Are you sure you want to help?” she said. “You’re already dealing with the ghost.”

  “I do have experience as a receptionist in a hotel,” I said. “Back in the normal world. Anyway, I’m not sure I’ve done that much ghost-hunting since I showed up.”

  “You worked in the normal world?” she asked. “I thought you were always a ghost hunter.”

  “Yeah… not quite.” I decided not to mention all my failed attempts to live a normal life, inside the magical world and outside of it. “I moved around a lot. I’ve tried lots of different jobs. Nothing quite stuck.”

  Or to be more precise, I didn’t stick anywhere. Ever since I’d left home, I’d been adrift, unable to settle, inside the magical world or otherwise. Now, though, I had to admit I felt like I’d been here in Hawkwood Hollow longer than a couple of days. The ghosts were a nuisance, but at least they were a fixture, not causing endless disruption. With one obvious exception.

  “Oh.” She bit her lip. “Um, you went back to the house again, didn’t you?”

  “Not for long,” I said. “The detective told me the police finally left, so I went back to talk to Mrs Renner’s ghost to see if I could get an idea of what happened to Dolores. She yelled at us and pretty much pushed us out of the house without letting us get any further than the hall. To tell you the truth, I think it’s the detective she doesn’t want there.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.” I hovered on the balls of my feet, feeling uneasy. “You’d think she’d want him to solve her murder. Unless it was me she was yelling at, but she seemed willing to talk to me the last time I went to speak to her alone. I guess we’ll have to go back tomorrow.”

  Or tonight, but I’d already volunteered to help Carey and her mother out at the inn. I mentally pushed back my deadline to leave town another couple of days and returned my attention to the task at hand. It was nice to have something to do with my evening which didn’t involve hanging out with my brother. Mart and I had spent countless nights watching old Doctor Who episodes or arguing about Sky Hopper, which, while enjoyable, got old after a while.

  We worked until the restaurant closed for the night and most of the guests had returned to their rooms, at which pointed Allie reappeared and insisted that Carey go to bed.

  “You should turn in for the night, too,” she said to me. “Not that I’m trying to act like your parent or anything. It’s a habit.”

  There was an unspoken question in her words, one I knew would come up at some point.

  “My parents aren’t around,” I admitted. “It’s been a while since anyone’s told me to go to bed.”

  “Okay, just let me know if it bothers you.” She stepped in behind the reception desk, while Carey made for the stairs and waved goodnight to her.

  I was about to follow her when I spotted Mr Renner coming back downstairs. Without noticing me, he crossed the lobby to the doors. Was he going back to the house? Now? It was dark outside, and nobody would be around… which seemed awfully suspicious to me.

  I slipped out from behind the desk and headed for the door myself, casting a concealment charm on myself to avoid drawing his attention. Mr Renner didn’t look back, but he crossed the bridge and then turned to walk in the opposite direction to his grandmother’s house. I trod behind him, wondering where on earth he was going. Then his route turned uphill towards the town cemetery, and I knew before he reached the cottage that he was heading up to the Reaper’s house.

  I stopped mid-step. Even though I’d used a spell to conceal myself, Reapers had ways of detecting living people no matter what kind of magic they’d used. Ghosts, on the other hand…

  “Mart,” I whispered. “I need your help.”

  “Yes?” He appeared at my side. “I thought you were on a date with that detective of yours.”

  “Mr Renner is going to visit the Reaper,” I said. “I’d follow him, but I’m pretty sure he’s less likely to spot you than he is me.”

  “So you want me to take your place?” he said. “You do realise the Reaper can see me as well as he can see you, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but a livin
g person trespassing would draw too much attention,” I said. “There are so many ghosts here, they’re probably background noise to him now. He won’t know you’re spying on him. Please?”

  He grumbled under his breath. “You’ll owe me for this.”

  “You can stand under my shower for an hour and I’ll pay the water bill,” I said. “Go on, quickly, before it’s too late.”

  I ducked down as a face appeared in the window of the Reaper’s cottage. Mr Renner. What is he doing? Asking for the Reaper’s help with the ghost? Admittedly, I should have got rid of her myself by now, but I’d have thought Mr Renner might have wanted to clear up the murder issue first. Not to mention the question of the second victim’s death. Had the Reaper seen her ghost? Now was most definitely not the time to ask, so I turned away and left Mart to do his spying.

  I’d have to get answers tomorrow instead.

  11

  I woke up the following morning in better spirits than I had the right to be in, considering I’d come no closer to solving the murder and was more confused than ever about Mrs Renner’s behaviour. If I’d guessed right and she didn’t want the detective in her house, then I was at a loss to guess why. If she was so certain she’d been murdered, you’d think she’d want someone around with the authority to arrest her murderer. Even if he couldn’t actually see her and had to depend on someone else’s testimony.

  Which, incidentally, was why the word of a ghost had less sway than you’d think among the paranormal law enforcement. Too few people could communicate with spirits for them to be considered reliable witnesses.

  Speaking of ghosts, Mart had yet to show his face even after I’d conjured some of my clothes from home, showered and dressed. I’d need to check in with him for a report on whether he’d found out why Mr Renner was meeting with the Reaper, but I’d already overslept, so I went downstairs once I’d finished dressing.

  It was the weekend, so the breakfast buffet was even quieter than usual. Mr Renner was nowhere to be seen, but I caught sight of Carey’s mother working at the bar and gave her a wave and smile. I loaded up my plate and joined Carey at a table where she sat with her familiar, Casper.

  “Hey.” On the table next to her lay her ghost goggles and her recording device, while an earbud dangled from one ear. “I’m watching the footage from yesterday.”

  “Oh?” I dug into my meal, though my appetite dulled at the memory of poor Dolores’s death. “Did you get any decent footage of the ghost?”

  “Check it out.” She held up the miniature camera so I could see better, and the fuzzy, blurred image of a floating plank of wood came into view. “I’m trying to see if I managed to record her speaking.”

  “Maybe hold off on uploading it to your blog until the ghost is gone, in case she objects to it,” I suggested, picking up a piece of toast. “Is Mr Renner around?”

  Her gaze flickered around the restaurant. “I haven’t seen him today. Mum said he went out last night.”

  To see the Reaper. Not that that necessarily meant anything nefarious. For all I knew, he’d asked the Reaper to get rid of his grandmother’s ghost since I’d failed to do so myself. Mart’s absence made me uneasy, but as I wasn’t yet ready to share him with the others, I’d have to look for him later. I dug into my meal instead while Carey showed me some of her footage, until Allie walked over to join us.

  “Thanks for helping out last night,” said Carey’s mother. “It’s appreciated. Sorry about the short notice.”

  “Glad I could help,” I said. “It’s nice to be able to do something useful.”

  I meant it, too. She and Carey were the nicest people I’d met in a while, and it was a shame the town wasn’t more popular with tourists. Maybe there was a way I could take some of the load off them. With so few staff, one absence could cause a major problem.

  She smiled. “Hayley called me and let me know she’ll be back in tonight, but I’ll definitely consider hiring someone else to step in. We should be fine today, though.”

  “Good, because I may have to borrow Carey.” I caught her eye. “Want to go back to the house?”

  “Sure!” The way her expression brightened made me glad I hadn’t opted to get rid of the ghost last night after all. “Will Mr Renner be there, do you know?”

  “That man.” Her mother tutted and shook her head. “I haven’t seen him today, but he returned late last night and woke me up by hammering on the bell at the reception desk. I did tell him the desk is closed at midnight, but he insisted on demanding new bedcovers in his room. Something about his wife being allergic to the material, I’ve no idea. Frankly, I’ll be glad when they’re gone, regardless of the money they bring in.”

  Yet another reason for me to go straight to Mrs Renner’s house—without the detective this time. Since it was the weekend, Carey would be able to go with me without skipping school, which was good news for all of us. It surprised me how quickly I’d fallen into a routine, and at this point, I couldn’t imagine turning back until I’d solved this case and banished Mrs Renner’s ghost.

  “He’s certainly got a temper,” I remarked. “Did he say where he went last night?”

  “Back to the house, I assume,” said Allie.

  “Pity the ghost didn’t show up,” Carey put in.

  Her mother tutted. “He mentioned that. Said the builders were making excuses for their own incompetence by blaming it on a ghost.”

  “Did he?” I frowned. “Did he mention old Dolores, or drop any hints about who he thinks might have killed her?”

  “Hints?” she echoed. “Not that I heard. He was mostly grumbling about the builders and his grandmother’s attachment to the house.”

  “Is he really that desperate to have the place, then?” I asked. “I thought he worked elsewhere.”

  “I got the impression he wanted to sell the place, not live in it.”

  “I doubt anyone will be disappointed, given how he’s treated everyone in town so far.” I rose to my feet. “Whether he’s at the house or not, I think today’s the day. I’m going to talk to Mrs Renner, and if I can’t gain her cooperation… she has to go.”

  Carey grabbed her ghost goggles and put them back on her head. They might look vaguely ridiculous, but from what I’d seen, the camera did work even if the goggles themselves didn’t. Not that I was keen to drag her into danger with me again. One person had already died on the property—not counting old Mrs Renner herself.

  “Don’t forget to grab your coat,” Allie told Carey, who rolled her eyes at her mother and pulled out her wand. With a flick, her coat appeared in her hands and she shrugged into it. Casper bounded off the table and Carey gave him a stroke, then her familiar walked away through the restaurant.

  After waving goodbye to Allie, the two of us set off for Mrs Renner’s house once again.

  “I usually help out at the restaurant at the weekend,” Carey admitted. “But I don’t want to miss out on this.”

  “I can’t say anything else I’ve tried this week has gone according to plan,” I admitted, “and to be honest, I’d like to know more about what Mr Renner is doing here. He’s been to the town before.”

  “He has?” she said.

  “According to a ghost I met at the retirement home,” I said. “Come to think of it, Mr Renner was heading that way last time I saw him, so perhaps that’s why the Reaper was there.”

  “Wait, you saw the Reaper at the retirement home?” Her eyes rounded. “Was he looking for Dolores’s ghost?”

  “Maybe.” Not that he’d admitted anything to me. “He wouldn’t tell me why he was there, but last night, I saw Mr Renner going to visit the Reaper after dark, too. No idea why, unless the two of them were discussing how to banish his grandmother’s ghost.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Then might the Reaper have already banished her?”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “I’m not sure. Depends if the Reaper took him up on his offer and went to Mrs Renner’s house last night.” I skipped over the part where I’d
sent Mart to spy on him. I still hadn’t seen Mart today, which was odd, but it wasn’t unheard of for him to wander off for a while. “I couldn’t get too close to the Reaper’s house without being spotted, so I had to leave. Reapers have the ability to detect anyone close to them even if they can’t be seen.”

  “Does that mean you do, too?” she asked curiously. “You’re half Reaper, right? I remember you saying that in the interview.”

  “Yes.” I buried my hands in my pockets, reluctant to dig into my history even now. “I make more use out of my witch skills, though. I don’t have a scythe or anything. Being a Reaper is a pretty lonely job, so it never appealed to me.”

  “Is that why Harold is so miserable?” she asked.

  “I have no idea, and I doubt he’d tell me if I asked,” I said. “I’m more likely to get answers from Mr Renner than him, and that’s saying a lot.”

  We reached Mrs Renner’s house and found the door already open, several construction workers milling about. I scanned the front of the house, but thankfully saw no signs of the detective. Nor the Reaper, either.

  Louis gave me a wave, smiling nervously. “Hey, there.”

  “You haven’t seen Mr Renner, have you?” I asked.

  “He’s running errands with his wife, I heard,” he said. “No sign of his grandmother either… not that I’m keen to jinx it, given the mess she made yesterday.”

  “Her ghost hasn’t shown up?” She’d yelled at the detective and me last night, but she didn’t seem bothered by the construction workers. Why might that be?

  “Not that we’ve seen or heard,” he said. “We’re used to ignoring strange noises from inside the house, though. Those of us who scare easily left the job ages ago.”

  That made sense, but he and the others must be seriously dedicated to still be working after either the ghost or the old building had caused a fatal accident. Then again, maybe they were as broke as I was. I mean, if the choice was between spending a night in a haunted house or being kicked out of my apartment, I’d pick the ghost every time.