Jacob's Coins: A Cozy Ghost Mystery (Storage Ghost Mysteries Book 1)

by Larkin, Gillian

  Storage Ghosts

  Jacob’s Coins

  Chapter 1

  Grace Abrahams polished the glass shelf vigorously.

  Why did it still look smeared?

  She rubbed it again.

  Frankie called over to her, “Leave that alone. It’s clean enough, you’ll end up breaking it.”

  Grace looked at her brother and said, “It’s not perfect, it needs to be perfect. What would Mum say?”

  Frankie studied her for a moment. “I don’t think Mum would care. She’d tell you to get on with something else.” He looked around the shop. “Although, I don’t know what else needs cleaning. You’ve done everything, not a cobweb left.”

  Grace frowned. “It doesn’t look clean enough to me. I don’t want to let Mum down.”

  “Grace, is there any point? You know we might have to sell the shop.”

  Heat flushed through Grace. She lifted her hand and waved her duster at Frankie. “Don’t say that! You don’t know what’s going to happen!”

  Frankie folded his arms and sighed. “I do know what’s going to happen. Stop kidding yourself, we’re not making any money here. And even if we were, you know where all our money has to go.”

  Grace’s eyes prickled. She quickly turned back to the shelf. How could she have any tears left? She mumbled, “But it’s the only thing we’ve got, the only thing left from Mum and Dad.”

  “I know, and if there was some way of hanging onto this shop, I’d do it. There’s nothing else to sell,” Frankie said gently. “Put that duster down and get the kettle on. I could do with a cuppa.”

  Grace looked back over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. “What did your last slave die of?”

  Frankie grinned and said, “Happiness. Hurry up, see if there’s any biscuits left. Or have you eaten them all?”

  Grace’s smile grew. “That’s right, blame me for the empty biscuit tin.”

  “That’s what big brothers are for,” Frankie replied.

  Grace walked through the shop towards the kitchen. She looked at the few items that they had left on the shelves. Some vases and plates. A table with four chairs. And an old tea pot that had been in the shop ever since Grace could remember.

  No wonder they weren’t making any money, they didn’t have any stock.

  Grace’s heart sank. It felt as empty as the shop.

  Frankie shouted after her, “I wouldn’t mind a sandwich whilst you’re in the kitchen, ham or egg, and don’t be stingy with the mayonnaise!”

  He was so bossy!

  Grace forgot about the empty shop for a moment as thoughts of revenge against her bossy brother rushed through her mind.

  Chilli powder on his ham? Laxative on his egg?

  Grace grinned. Playing tricks on each other was their thing. They’d been doing it since childhood. It was ages since they’d played a trick on each other.

  She walked into the kitchen.

  When was the last time Frankie had got one over on her?

  She switched on the kettle, her brow wrinkled as she thought.

  Her hand froze as she reached towards the cupboard.

  They hadn’t played tricks on each other since before the...

  Grace shook her head.

  No!

  She wouldn’t think about it.

  She couldn’t think about it.

  She knew what would happen if she did.

  Chapter 2

  Grace returned to the shop. Frankie gave an exaggerated look at his watch and said, “That took a long time. Where did you get the tea from? China?”

  Grace ignored him. She put the tray in front of him. “Enjoy your sandwich. I put ham and egg in it, with a bit of seasoning.”

  Frankie eagerly picked the thick sandwich up. He raised it to his mouth. He paused and glanced at Grace. “Why are you watching me?”

  Grace shrugged. “I like to see a man enjoying his food.”

  Frankie’s eyes narrowed. He looked at the sandwich and then back at his sister. He put the sandwich down and said, “Okay, what have you done to it?”

  “Nothing,” Grace said in an innocent voice.

  Frankie opened the sandwich carefully as if it was an unexploded bomb. He peered at the contents. “What’s that black stuff?”

  “Pepper. And the green bits are mixed herbs, I thought it might add a bit of flavour. Are you going to eat it or what?”

  “You’ve put something else in, haven’t you? I’d forgotten about your special sandwiches. Come on, you might as well admit it.”

  Grace laughed. “Really, Frankie! Don’t you trust me?”

  “Nope.”

  Grace put her hand on his arm, her eyes twinkled. “Honestly, I haven’t put anything extra on your sandwich. I thought about it but I didn’t do it.”

  “Is that the truth?” Frankie asked.

  Grace nodded. “I’ll take the first bite if you don’t believe me.”

  She reached for the sandwich. Frankie slapped her hand away. “Get your own! This is mine.”

  He picked it up and took a big bite. He grinned at Grace, his cheeks stuffed like a hamster’s.

  “It’s great, thanks for making it. It’s good to see you smiling again. We’re getting too old to be playing tricks on each other anyway,” Frankie said.

  He reached for his tea.

  Grace’s eyebrows arched as she said slowly, “Yes, we’re far too mature for things like that. Enjoy your tea, dear brother.”

  Frankie slammed his cup down, tea sloshed over the sides. “What have you done to my tea? You’ve gone too far this time! Tea should never, ever, ever be tampered with.”

  Grace couldn’t keep her laughter in. “I’d forgotten how gullible you are. I haven’t done anything, drink up.”

  Grace took a sip of her own tea, her laughter still fresh on her lips.

  It did feel good to laugh.

  Frankie gave her a playful shove. “You just wait, Sis, I’ll get you back.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Grace and Frankie grinned at each other for a moment. All thoughts of their parents were far from their minds.

  The shop bell rang, they turned their heads towards the potential customer.

  In unison, their smiles immediately disappeared when they saw who had walked in.

  Chapter 3

  Grace glared at the well-dressed man in front of her. She took in the expensive clothes, the professionally styled hair, the confident stance of a man who was pleased with himself. Her eyes, as always, flicked to the scar above his left eye. She’d give her last penny to shake the hand of the person who had given him that scar.

  She pursed her lips, she nearly was down to her last penny, thanks to this man.

  The man smiled, the smile of a shark, a loan shark who was ready for his first bite of the day.

  “Good morning, orphans. How are you today? Isn’t it a wonderful day?” the man beamed at them.

  “What do you want, Eddie,” Frankie said coldly.

  Grace saw that Frankie’s fists were tightly clenched below the shop counter that separated them from Eddie Tominski.

  Eddie’s smile widened. Grace saw the glint from a tooth filling, it looked like gold. It probably was. It wouldn’t surprise her if it used to belong to someone else.

  Eddie spoke in a jovial manner, as if they were best friends. “I just popped round to see how my shop was doing. It looks spic and span. Is that down to you, Grace? I might keep you on when I take over this shop, you look like you could be a professional scrubber.”

  Grace’s nostrils flared. “This isn’
t your shop! It still belongs to us!”

  Eddie chuckled. He gave her a sympathetic look. “Poor Grace. You still can’t face up to facts, can you? This shop will be mine, just like everything else that belonged to your father, God bless his alcoholic soul.”

  Frankie banged his fist on the counter. “Don’t you dare talk about my dad like that!”

  Eddie shrugged. “But it’s true, everyone knows it.” He frowned. “In fact, his reputation might hurt my sales when I take over. I’ll have to change the name of the shop, of course. And antiques are so last year.”

  Eddie suddenly stopped and let out a guffaw of laughter. “So last year! Did you hear that? I’m so funny I surprise myself!”

  Grace looked at Frankie. She could see he was trying to control his breathing. She knew how he felt, her own heart was filled with loathing. How she’d love to give Eddie a matching scar above his right eye.

  Eddie stopped laughing and focused his eyes on them again. His smile disappeared. “Joking aside, you know I’m going to take over this shop. Why don’t we sort things out now? Save ourselves lots of hassle.”

  “What if I don’t want to sell to you? I could put the shop on the market, we could get a decent price, it’s in a good position,” Frankie said, his hopeful tone forced.

  Eddie shook his head slowly in mock regret. “You know that’s not going to happen. Who would put a bid in? Who would dare to go up against me, the great and powerful Eddie Tominski? I’m sure you’ve heard rumours about me.”

  Grace looked at the floor, she’d heard rumours alright. She looked back at Eddie and tried to stand a bit taller. “We’re not scared of you.”

  Eddie leant closer, his aftershave almost choked her. In a soft voice he said, “Those rumours you’ve heard, dear Grace, are not rumours.”

  He waited a few seconds as if ready to impart a punch line. “They’re not rumours at all, they’re the truth. And you should be scared of me. My patience with you two is running thin. You owe me thousands and I’m getting fed up of waiting.”

  Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim red book. Frankie and Grace had seen it before.

  Eddie opened a page and ran his finger down it. “Oh, here we are, as of today’s date the amount you owe is £50,000.”

  “£50,000! It was £40,000 last month!” Frankie exploded.

  Eddie closed the book and gave them a shark smile. “Interest. And I’ve added a small amount to compensate for my patience.”

  Ho looked at his watch. “I have to go. I’m going to be generous and give you two more weeks to sort this out, you either come up with the money...”

  He burst into guffaws again. “Come up with the money! Did you hear that? Another joke! You come up with the money or you sell the shop to me, at a discount of course. I hope you appreciate my generosity and patience, I sort of feel sorry for you, with having dead parents who left you with crippling debt.”

  Grace felt Frankie move forward, she reached out and grabbed his arm. Hitting Eddie was not the answer, even though it was tempting.

  Eddie gave them a cheery wave as he left the shop.

  Frankie let out an exasperated breath. “I hate that man! Do you think we could get away with killing him? I’ve watched lots of police shows, I think we could dispose of his body without being found.”

  Grace shot him a look, she saw that he was trying hard to control his temper. She joined in with his game. “But how would we kill him? That’s the best part. I’m all for poisoning, it’s less mess.”

  Frankie took a sip of his tea. He grimaced and said, “I think poisoning would be your thing. Did you even put a tea bag in this water? Or did you just wave it above the cup?”

  Grace smiled. “Make it yourself next time.” She looked into her own cup, her smile faltered. “What are we going to do, Frankie? I can’t bear the thought of losing this shop.”

  Frankie patted her shoulder and brightly said, “Something will turn up, you’ll see.”

  Chapter 4

  A few hours later Frankie looked at his watch and said, “We might as well call it a day. I doubt we’re going to get a mad rush now. How much have we made today?”

  Grace smiled sadly and said, “Nothing. That lady who looked at the floral vase said it was too much and she could get it cheaper down the market.”

  Frankie shook his head. “I don’t think some people understand the concept of antiques, she won’t get one of them down the market.”

  Grace looked round the shop. “We need to sell other things, stuff that people want, but what? And where can we get it from at a cheap price?”

  Frankie held his hands up. “We’re not going to discuss this any further today. Do you want a lift home?”

  “If it’s no trouble, thanks. Where are you sleeping tonight?”

  “At Ian’s. He says he doesn’t mind if I stay another week.”

  Grace nodded and then leant forward to switch off the cash register. She suddenly froze. “Hang on, didn’t you say that Ian is going on a stag do this weekend? I can’t imagine he’d let you stay in his house on your own.”

  Frankie picked a bit of fluff off his jumper. He muttered, “Yeah, he is going away but he’s fine about me staying there.”

  Grace folded her arms and glared at her brother. “You’re lying, I can tell. What’s going on?”

  Frankie’s eyes quickly flicked towards the ceiling and then back to his jumper. “Nothing.”

  Grace had caught his look. She unfolded her arms and placed them on her hips. “Don’t tell me you’re sleeping in the stockroom?”

  “Course not. Do you want a lift or not?” Frankie said. He moved towards the front door.

  Grace spun on her heels and headed towards the back of the shop. As she sped upstairs she heard Frankie shout, “Don’t go up there! Please!”

  Grace flung open the door to the stockroom. She stopped in her tracks. Frankie bumped into her as he caught up.

  Grace raised a quivering arm and waved it around the room. “Frankie! Please tell me you haven’t been living here! No, don’t bother to lie, I can see that you have. How long have you been sleeping on the floor? And why?”

  Frankie stepped into the room. He knelt down and straightened up his sleeping bag. He didn’t look up at Grace as he spoke. “It’s not so bad, it’s quite cosy. I’ve got a microwave and my computer. There’s washing facilities across the hall. And it’s a really short commute to work. And, let’s face it, there isn’t any stock in here.”

  “How long?” Grace repeated.

  Frankie straightened up. “A few months. I wore out my welcome with my friends ages ago. And I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d worry. You don’t need any more worry, not after what happened ...”

  Grace sighed. “Oh, Frankie, I wish you’d told me. You’re not staying here any more, you’re coming back to my place. My sofa’s comfier than that floor. No arguments.”

  “I can look after myself, I’m used to it. Anyway, I’m the big brother, I’m the one who should be taking care of you.”

  Grace studied him, she was familiar with the determined look he was now giving her. She said, “Stay at least one night. It’ll give us chance to talk about the shop. I’ll get us a pizza on the way home, what do you say?”

  Frankie thought for a moment, then he relented. “Okay, just one night. And I want a proper pizza with lots of meat on, not that stupid low fat tasteless thing you usually have.”

  Grace smiled. “Okay.”

  Frankie leant down and rolled up his sleeping bag.

  “You don’t need that, I’ve got some spare covers,” Grace said.

  Frankie tucked it under his arm and said, “I’ve got used to it, it’s comforting.”

  Grace suddenly thought of the blanket that he used to have when he was little. Mum had to constantly patch it up because he’d cuddled it too much.

  Grace’s eyes prickled. She quickly blinked and pasted a bright smile on her face. “What do you stay to a couple of cans of lager?
”

  Frankie grinned. “I’d ask them to bring a couple of friends with them. Hurry up, Grace, I’m starving.”

  Chapter 5

  Frankie soon made himself at home.

  “Feet off the table,” Grace said. She placed the pizza and lager in front of him.

  Frankie swung his feet off the table and reached for a slice of pizza. “Mind if we watch telly? There’s a great programme on, one of my favourites. You’ve got to see it. Is that my lager? Are you having some?”

  “Not yet,” Grace replied. She picked a smaller slice of pizza up and put it on her plate. She studied it, she wasn’t exactly sure what kind of meat was on it, there was certainly a lot of it.

  Frankie pointed the remote at the television, it came to life. He quickly zapped through the channels until he found what he was looking for.

  “This is it! Look, Grace, it’s all about storage lockers.”

  Grace chewed, she still wasn’t sure what kind of meat it was, there didn’t seem to be a distinctive taste. She swallowed with difficulty, Frankie could eat the rest of this. “Storage lockers? Who makes a programme about storage lockers?”

  Frankie nodded towards the television. “It’s really interesting. It’s set in America, in different states. These lockers are full of all sorts, sometimes rubbish but sometimes they have stuff that’s worth thousands of dollars.”

  Grace frowned. “I don’t get it, who do the lockers belong to?”

  Frankie explained, “People rent them and store their belongings in them. But then they might forget about them, if they move town or something, or they might not be able to afford the storage rent anymore and they stop paying. Or they might die.”

  Grace’s nose wrinkled. “Other people’s belongings, is that what you mean? Could be anything in them. Why are those people shouting?”

  “Those are the bidders. Whoever gets the highest bid wins the locker. See that old woman with the purple hair? She has the worst luck ever! She’s found false teeth, a wooden leg, even half a dead body once. They had to get the police out for that one.”