Ghostly Secrets

by K. E. O'Connor

  “That was an interesting experience,” said Zach as we rounded the corner of the stable and headed towards the house.

  “I don’t know who to believe,” I said. “I like both Juliette and Ben. But if Fleur is being honest, then both of them need to be considered as serious suspects in Archie’s death.”

  “But do you trust Fleur?” asked Zach. “She thinks she’s been short-changed and isn’t getting what she’s entitled to. Perhaps Fleur killed her own brother to get her hands on his money and then was disappointed when it didn’t come straight to her.”

  “I don’t trust her,” I said. “But when she was speaking about Archie, I got the impression Fleur genuinely cared for him. And when Archie appeared, he seemed to think highly of his sister too.”

  “But if Archie was killed and he was pushed from behind by his attacker, then he can’t know for sure who did kill him,” said Zach.

  “From his appearance in the cottage last night, he thinks we should focus on his old business partner, Dexter.” I looked over at Zach. “But you’re right, Archie doesn’t know for sure who killed him, so we shouldn’t rule out anyone at this stage. As much as I like Ben, he needs to be added to our suspect list, along with Juliette, Fleur, and this mysterious Dexter.”

  “So rather than narrowing down the suspect list, you’ve just added to it,” said Zach.

  “I have to,” I said. “We need to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

  “So what next?” Zach wrapped an arm round my waist and pulled me to him.

  “First, a shower, and then we need to plan our next move,” I said.

  Chapter 10

  I pushed back my seat from the table in the cottage and let out a contented sigh. I was clean of all the mud I’d been coated in when chasing Brutus round the fields, and Helen had made a wonderful warming stew for dinner.

  Zach and Helen were at the table with me, and the dogs were asleep by the log burner.

  “I managed to get a good look around Fleur’s room today,” said Helen as she collected the empty plates from the table. “I didn’t find anything too scandalous or anything to suggest she’s involved in Archie’s death.”

  “But you did find something,” I said to her.

  “A few unpaid bills, but nothing significant. And she has a closet full of shoes; some still have the tickets on them. Fleur is a woman who likes to spend without thinking about it.” Helen carried the plates into the kitchen.

  “Hardly a surprise there,” I said. “What about Juliette’s room?”

  “I turned up nothing,” said Helen as she returned from the kitchen. “It was neat and tidy, not much in the drawers other than cosmetics and clothing. There were no hidden journals or diaries full of secrets about illicit affairs or hiding money. There were several packets of sleeping pills, and Juliette could open her own pharmacy with the amount of headache pills she has up there. It was all a bit disappointing.”

  Flipper stood up abruptly, jumping out of what had appeared to be a deep slumber next to Jessie. He gave a quiet bark and pawed at the ground, just as the lights overhead flickered on and off a couple of times. Archie appeared, hovering at the end of the table.

  “Guess who’s arrived.” I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Archie. “You’re lucky we’re still helping you after your performance today. Not only did you freak out your own horse, but you could have injured Zach as well.”

  Archie gave a sorrowful shrug and looked at the ground.

  “Play nicely, Archie, or we won’t be so obliging.” Helen looked in the wrong direction as she spoke to Archie.

  “Since you’re here, you can help with some questions we have about your sister,” I said to Archie. “Fleur is obsessed with your money. Would that be a good enough motive for her to break your neck?”

  Archie raised his head and looked at me with wide eyes. He drifted over to the cabinet, where a number of family photos were displayed, and knocked over a picture.

  I stood and picked it up. It was of him and Fleur looking happy and windswept on a sunny beach.

  “What’s he showing you?” asked Zach.

  I held the photo frame out for the others to see. “I’m guessing that he wants us to know they were happy and he had a good relationship with Fleur.” I looked at Archie. “But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t harboring a secret grudge against you. Perhaps Fleur wanted to get her hands on your money more than she wanted to have a brother who was alive.”

  Archie shook his head before spinning round the room a couple of times and causing the temperature to drop.

  “There’s no need to get angry with us again,” I said. “We’re simply investigating suspects. You do want the right killer brought to justice, don’t you?”

  Archie floated back to the table, tipped the salt over again, and began drawing the letter D in it.

  “Stop right there,” I said to him. “We are looking into your old business partner, Dexter, as well. From what we’ve discovered, he’s not the most reliable of characters. But there are so many people who would have benefited from your death that we have to start somewhere. The police always look at the family first when someone has been killed.”

  “What about the evil toy boy theory Fleur suggested today?” asked Zach. “Ben could have bumped off Archie to get his hands on the cash and Juliette.”

  “I don’t see Ben doing something like that,” I said. “But we will explore that possibility.” I looked over at Archie. “How well did you know Ben?”

  Archie shrugged again, not seeming concerned about Juliette’s new husband.

  “You don’t mind that your wife remarried so soon after you died?” I asked.

  Archie tilted his head from side to side as if considering my question. He gave me a big smile and pointed to the wedding ring on his finger.

  “You were happy she got married again?”

  He nodded. Archie then mimed removing his wedding band and grinned at me again.

  I chewed on my bottom lip as I tried to interpret his meaning. “I’m not sure what he’s showing me, but Archie seems happy about Juliette finding Ben. And it looks like he’s trying to remove his own wedding ring. Could they have been getting a divorce?”

  “I didn’t find anything to support that idea when I was doing my own investigations,” said Helen.

  “Maybe the evidence isn’t hidden in an underwear drawer.” Zach smiled. “I’d never keep anything important in my sock drawer.”

  “That’s because you’re a man,” said Helen. “Ladies like to keep their secrets close to them when they sleep.”

  “What kind of secrets are you hiding in your knicker drawer?” I asked Helen.

  Helen tapped the side of her nose. “Nothing for you to worry about. But if I was planning to divorce a husband, I’d keep the paperwork where I could easily get to it.”

  “Archie isn’t bothered that Juliette’s remarried,” I said as I watched him drift lazily about the room.

  “Ben can’t be involved in this. If he really wanted to get his hands on all of the estate, he’d have to kill Juliette as well. That would look too suspicious,” said Helen.

  “You’re right,” I said. “Juliette’s death would mean a police investigation, and if Ben was involved in any way with either of the deaths, he’d get found out and wouldn’t get a penny.”

  “Not if he made it look like another accident,” said Helen.

  Archie rattled the windows and shook his head.

  “I take it Archie doesn’t think much of that theory?” asked Helen.

  “Apparently not,” I said.

  “Juliette is a sensible woman. She would have arranged a prenuptial agreement before marrying Ben,” said Zach.

  “Particularly since Ben has married into a higher social class,” said Helen. “She’d be silly not to protect herself from gold diggers.”

  “Ben’s not looking like a likely suspect, is he?” I said, not minding the sense of relief I felt.

  “But he is getting regular h
andouts from her,” said Zach. “You said yourself that Juliette gives him money. Maybe that’s all he needs.”

  “Fleur did say Juliette treats Ben like a pet, giving him treats to get rid of him and keep him happy,” I said. “He could be fleecing Juliette by stealth.”

  “How can we find that out?” asked Helen.

  I looked over at Helen. She stood near the log burner, her blonde hair lit up, making her look like an angel. “I wonder if he has a thing for blondes?”

  “I shouldn’t think so, since he’s married to Juliette,” said Helen. “Why do you ask?”

  “I was just thinking how lovely you look tonight,” I said.

  “Thanks for the compliment.” Helen narrowed her blue eyes at me. “But I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re about to ask me.”

  “I was thinking you could use some of your feminine charms to see how friendly Ben might be,” I said. “If he responds to your flirting, it would suggest his marriage to Juliette is a sham.”

  “You want me to try to break up a marriage?” asked Helen.

  “Absolutely not,” I said. “But perhaps you could use your natural charms to see how willing Ben would be to break his own marriage vows.”

  “Exactly how far do you want me to go?”

  “Some gentle flirting,” I said. “Don’t take it too far.”

  “But he might get offended and sack me,” said Helen.

  “I imagine he’ll be extremely flattered,” said Zach. “Even married men enjoy being flirted with.”

  “And how would you know that?” I asked him.

  Zach shrugged and looked around the cottage. “All men enjoy being flirted with.”

  “I’m not sure about this,” said Helen.

  “You’re always the one so eager to do these investigations,” I said to her. “This could help us eliminate a suspect.”

  “I guess it could,” said Helen. “We’ll need to set up a meeting between the two of us to see what happens.”

  “If you need to get Ben on his own, I’ve seen him taking a walk after breakfast,” said Zach. “That would be a good time to do some flirting with him.”

  “That’s ideal,” I said. “All we need to do is get Helen in the right place at the right time and use her killer curves to test Ben’s loyalty to Juliette.”

  “I won’t be using my killer curves to do anything,” said Helen sharply. “But I may use my natural friendly ways to see how eager Ben is to get to know me better.”

  “That’s great,” I said to her. “Either way, it will help us narrow down the list of suspects.”

  “What does Archie think of this idea?” asked Zach.

  I looked at Archie, who gave a nod, and floated round the room before slowly disappearing. “He doesn’t hate it.”

  “I’m so glad the ghost approves,” said Helen.

  “Time to plan your outfit,” I said to Helen. “You need to look drop dead gorgeous tomorrow, so you’re as tempting as possible for Ben.”

  Zach grinned at us. “He won’t know what’s hit him.”

  Chapter 11

  I was up early the next morning to help Helen squeeze into her sexiest outfit. She stood in front of me in a fitted red dress with a plunging neckline. Her hair had been blow dried, so blonde curls drifted around her face, and she’d emphasized her eyes with makeup, so the blue in them sparkled.

  “I feel ridiculous.” Helen smoothed down her hair. “Won’t Ben think it’s a bit odd that I’m going to work looking like this?”

  “Ben’s mind will be so scrambled by how hot you look that he won’t even notice why you’re dressed like this to do the laundry,” I said.

  “This had better work,” grumbled Helen. “Why can’t you do the flirting yourself?”

  I looked down at my decidedly flat assets. “You’re more appealing to most men.”

  “Unless their name is Zach,” said Helen with a smile. “He only has eyes for you.”

  “Thankfully,” I said. “You should have seen the way Fleur was flirting with him yesterday. If she had claws, she would have sunk them into his back and claimed him as her own. It was disgusting.”

  “You should have shoved her into a pile of horse dung,” said Helen. “That’s what I’d have done if she dared go after my man.”

  “I’ll remember that the next time,” I said. “Now, there’s no time to waste. Go lurk in the garden and wait for Ben to come outside. Zach is going to give you a signal when Ben is on the move. Then you can accidentally on purpose bump into him when he’s having his morning walk.”

  We hurried to the main house, Helen complaining that her heels were pinching her feet, and walked to the main door.

  “You go wait in the garden for Ben,” I said.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll keep watch from inside,” I said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to do the flirting?” asked Helen.

  “You’ll be great.” I gave her a gentle shove. “Go wait for your prey.” I gave Helen a good luck thumbs up before heading to the orangery to start work with Juliette for the day. I found her and Ben there, just finishing their breakfast. The timing was perfect.

  “Care to join us?” asked Ben with a cheery smile. “There’s plenty to go round.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve already eaten this morning,” I said to him.

  “I saw you got through a lot of the work I left you,” said Juliette quietly. “Thank you so much for that. I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you for long, but I didn’t feel at all well yesterday.”

  “That’s not a problem,” I said. “I do have a few queries on some of the letters, though. Perhaps we can work through those this morning?”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea,” said Juliette. “So far, the headaches are keeping away. I might have one of my good days.”

  “That’s wonderful news, darling,” said Ben. “Perhaps you feel strong enough to accompany me on my morning walk?”

  Juliette’s gaze shifted to the garden. “It does look like a nice day out there.”

  My heart sped up. If Juliette accompanied Ben, it would end in disaster. Helen would either have to hide from them, or if she didn’t spot Juliette in time, she could blunder into both of them, and our plan would be spoiled.

  “It is chilly out there,” I said. “Don’t let the sun deceive you. Autumn is not far away.”

  “It looks nice enough to me,” said Ben. “Come for a walk, Juliette. It will be lovely to have your company.”

  “Perhaps another day,” said Juliette. “I don’t want to overexert myself. And exercise always makes me feel unwell.”

  “Just a gentle stroll?” suggested Ben.

  “We do have an awful lot of work to get through today,” I said.

  “Lorna is right,” said Juliette. “But another time.”

  Ben nodded as he stood up from the table. “I will hold you to that. Fresh air and sunlight does everybody good.” He kissed his wife on the cheek before leaving us alone.

  “So, where should we begin?” Juliette looked over at me as she discarded her half eaten breakfast.

  “Let’s start with the letters,” I said.

  ***

  As much as I tried, I couldn’t focus on the work in front of me. I kept wondering how Helen was getting on and whether she had persuaded Ben to fall for her charms. I needed to go see what was going on.

  “Is everything okay?” asked Juliette after I dropped a bundle of papers on the floor. “You seem distracted.”

  “I think I’m suffering from the same thing as you.” I rubbed my fingers against my forehead. “I’ve suddenly got a nasty headache.”

  “Oh, you poor thing,” said Juliette. “I know exactly how that feels. Would you like to take a break? And I’ve got some marvellous pills that help.”

  “A break might do me good,” I said. “Just five minutes. I could get some fresh air. That should do the trick.”

  “Are you sure you’re up to carrying on with
your work?” asked Juliette.

  “It’s nothing serious,” I said. “I’ll be back soon.” I pushed away from the table and hurried out of the room, keen to see how Helen was doing. I snuck out of the front door and looked round the garden, but didn’t see anybody.

  I continued around the side of the building and instantly heard voices. It was Helen and Ben. I risked a look round the corner of the building and saw them standing with their backs to me, about ten feet away. I dashed to a nearby bush and ducked behind it so I’d be able to hear what they were saying.

  “You have such lovely hair,” I heard Helen say to Ben.

  “Thanks,” said Ben. “But it’s usually a frightful mess, especially first thing in the morning. I get it from my mother. She always had these wild unruly curls. Bit like yours, actually.”

  “Don’t say I remind you of my mother or I shall simply die,” said Helen with an overly bright laugh.

  “She was a great woman,” said Ben. “You should take it as a compliment.”

  “Then I will,” said Helen.

  There was a pause in the conversation, and I longed to have a look at what was going on. Maybe they were already in a passionate embrace.

  “How are you today?” asked Helen. “You seem a little unhappy.”

  “Everything is fine with me,” said Ben. “In fact, I was thinking of arranging a weekend break away with Juliette in a month or two. She gets so tired. I think running this household has a lot to do with it. I thought, if we got away on a romantic trip, it would restore her energy.”

  “You are such a kind man,” said Helen. “I hope you don’t mind me prying, but I wondered if the two of you were having problems?”

  “What sort of problems?”

  “Marriage can be a tricky thing,” said Helen. “If you want to talk about it, I’m always here for you.”

  “That’s sweet of you,” said Ben. “But Juliette and I are very happy.”

  “Don’t you find it difficult that she’s always unwell?”

  “I think it’s a terrible shame that she often feels ill,” said Ben. “But she hasn’t always been like this. When I first got to know Juliette, she was full of life and energy, always laughing. She has a great sense of humor and can be real fun.”