Grace pushed past Ted. “I really have to go. Jim knows everything, I’d stay out of that room, there’s arsenic floating around. I have to go, sorry.”
Ted caught her arm. “You can’t leave, you have to speak to the police!”
Grace pushed Ted’s hand away. “I have to go! The police can talk to me later, I’ll be at the shop.”
“Let her go,” Emily said. “James is going to tell us everything. Grace, what’s wrong with Amy? I’ll have to tell the paramedics so they can treat her.”
“Arsenic poisoning,” Grace replied.
She ran out of the room and straight into a policeman. “They’re all in there,” she said and indicated towards the library.
“Just a minute, miss ...” the policeman began.
Grace broke into a run down the hall, throwing a “Sorry!” behind her.
Ignoring the commotion of ambulances and police cars out on the road, she jumped into the van and drove back to the shop as quickly as her shaking hands and legs would allow.
Chapter 25
Grace raced into Frankie’s room. His bed was empty. Pearl had her back to Grace, her shoulders were shaking.
“Frankie? Pearl? Frankie! No!”
Pearl jumped and turned around. “Bloody good job I’m dead, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What’s your wailing for?”
Grace pointed at the bed. “Frankie?” was all she could mutter.
Pearl stood up. “What about him? He’s in the toilet, again. Making a right stink.”
Grace took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “Is he all right? I saw your shoulders shaking, I thought you were crying.”
Pearl jerked her thumb towards where she’d been sitting. Frankie’s laptop was open. “That Laurel and Hardy! Gets me every time. I wasn’t crying, I was laughing. Although I will burst into tears if I have to look after your smelly brother much longer. Come on, let’s go downstairs.”
“Are you sure he’s okay?”
“Apart from a sore bum? Yes, he’s fine.”
Pearl headed out of the room and towards the stairs. Grace followed her. She paused outside the door of the upstairs toilet. She called out, “Frankie? Are you okay?”
“Course I’m okay! Leave me alone, can’t I even have any peace and quiet from you in here? Clear off!”
Grace smiled. He was all right.
Pearl was in the kitchen. When Grace came in Pearl sighed and said, “It’s at times like this that I wish I was still alive. You look in desperate need of a cuppa but you’ll have to make it yourself. Tell me everything, every little detail.”
Grace moved towards the kettle. Her headache was receding. Should she have stayed to be checked out by a paramedic? She’d think about that later, she couldn’t face going back to Heathville at the moment.
Grace made a cup of tea and told Pearl everything.
Pearl gave a low whistle. “Arsenic wallpaper, I’ve never come across that before. I’m glad that you got out of that room. Did you imagine the condom around you?”
“I didn’t, but I don’t think it would have helped.”
Pearl’s mouth twisted as if she was thinking of something. “We’ll have to think of something, some way to protect you from these sort of things. Sometimes you need protection from the ghosts themselves. Grace? What’s wrong?”
Grace looked down at her tea. “Pearl, I was so scared, I couldn’t think straight. I thought I was going to die. I can’t do this.”
“You can!” Pearl shot back. “I know you can, you don’t know your own strengths. You threw that paperweight at Jim without hesitating, didn’t you?”
Grace looked up, her cheeks red. “I couldn’t let him get away with it! He was going to close the door, I didn’t know if I would have been able to open it again. I would have looked like a liar in front of Emily.”
“Amy would be dead now if it wasn’t for you. I know she sounds like a piece of scum with her dodgy businesses but you still saved her life. Remember that, Grace, you are helping people. And if you did die ...”
Grace’s mouth lifted slightly. “I was just starting to feel better. Yes, if I did die?”
Pearl grinned at her. “You could live here with me and we could haunt your brother!”
Grace laughed. “That does sound good, I’ll bear that in mind for next time.”
“Will there be a next time?” Pearl asked.
Grace nodded. “Yes. I’ve no idea what I’m doing but I feel this is something that I have to do.”
“That’s my girl, I’m proud of you,” Pearl said. “Now don’t start crying again! You’re supposed to be toughening up!”
Grace smiled through her tears. “I’m glad you’re here, Pearl. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have you to talk to.”
A wicked gleam came into Pearl’s eyes. “But am I really here? Or have you gone mad already?”
Grace laughed again. “I don’t care! As long as you’re here I can deal with anything. Bring on the next murdered ghost!”
A note from the author
I love watching storage auction programmes. I’ve never been to one but I’d love to visit one of the big ones in America, I’m sure I’d be useless at bidding though – I’d be too excited.
When I watch the shows I always wonder where the items have come from, and who they belonged to. I wondered what would happen if some of the items had ghosts attached. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it anymore and I knew I had to write some stories down, I was inspired by the variety of items that have been discovered in storage lockers. Also, I am a big fan of ‘cozy’ murder mysteries and I wanted to combine items found in a locker with a murder!
I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did could you post a quick review? Thank you, I read all my reviews and I really do appreciate them.
Grace’s first murder mystery is ‘The Last Reading’. It’s free on Amazon :
Amazon Com
Amazon UK
Grace’s adventures with ghosts that weren’t murdered are available as a box set, there are 5 short stories in the set:
Amazon Com
Amazon UK
You can see all my books at:
www.gillianlarkin.co.uk
You can email me at:
[email protected]
Best wishes
Gillian
STORAGE GHOST MURDER – A DIFFERENT SHADE OF DEATH
By
GILLIAN LARKIN
KINDLE EDITION
www.gillianlarkin.co.uk
Front cover image by Vectorstock.com
Copyright 2014 by Gillian Larkin
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronically or mechanically without permission from the author.
A Different Shade Of Death: A Cozy Mystery Ghost Story (Storage Ghost Murders Book 2) Page 8
