Ghostly Rules

by K. E. O'Connor

  “If you’re asking if she’s still single and interested in you, I really can’t comment,” I said. “No one in the family has caught Helen’s eye yet. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t looking.”

  “Helen’s a sensible lady. She’ll know not to get involved with anybody in that family,” said Gunner.

  “I don’t know about that,” I said, not able to resist teasing just a little. “Lonnie’s older brother was paying Helen attention when we had a party, and Lonnie’s ex-wife is keen on getting him set up.”

  “You mean Ignatius Cornell!” Gunner frowned and shook his head. “Don’t mess with him.”

  “I got the impression he’d quite like to mess around with Helen.”

  Gunner grabbed hold of my arm. “I’m being serious. Get on the wrong side of him and you’re history. I’ve got his name against half a dozen murders. You do not play with him and get away with it. Tell Helen to steer clear. You too.”

  The intense look in Gunner’s eyes made me realize he wasn’t joking. “Murder? I didn’t think that’s what the family was into.”

  Gunner sighed. “Just Ignatius. He has trouble controlling his temper, and he likes his violence messy. Lonnie was the brains in the family; he planned the robberies and crimes involving blackmail and extortion. And he was good at making sure he never left evidence behind.”

  “I’ll tell Helen to avoid Ignatius,” I said.

  “You avoid him too,” said Zach. “And no more trying to get information out of Ignatius so my idiot brother can solve a crime. He’s smart enough to do that for himself.”

  “Our level of smarts runs in the family.” Gunner patted Zach’s shoulder.

  Messy violence and murder. This was more serious than some stolen gold. What had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter 15

  Three hours later, I had viewed every room in the house twice and helped Zach unpack our new kitchen units ready to be installed. It was nice to get involved with doing something on the house, even though it was only unpacking boxes and looking at designs for the kitchen. Every time I came here, I realized how excited I was about starting this part of my life with Zach.

  I stood outside the front of the house, having sent a message to Frankie telling him I was ready to be picked up. Flipper kept looking back at the house and gently whining.

  I gave his head a pat. “I know. We both miss Jessie and Zach. But we’ll be with them soon enough.”

  Flipper looked up at me and whined.

  “It’s not that bad. But if you want to, I can set up a Skype call so you can see Jessie.”

  Flipper covered his nose with one paw. He didn’t think much of that idea. And I felt the same; a Skype call was not the same as a snuggle and sharing a meal with the one you love.

  The limousine pulled up beside me, and Frankie rolled down the window. “Ready to go home?”

  I nodded and let myself into the back, Flipper jumping in in front of me.

  “Did you have a good time?” asked Frankie, as he cruised away from the house.

  “I did,” I said. “I’m going to be moving in soon.”

  Frankie’s gaze was on mine in the rear-view mirror. “It’s a nice place. You buying alone?”

  “No, I’m moving in with a few friends,” I said, “including Helen. You might have seen her around the house.”

  “The curvy blonde with the high heels?” asked Frankie.

  I had to smile at that description. Trust Frankie to notice those things first. “That’s the one.”

  “Suppose she’s taken?” asked Frankie.

  “In a way,” I said.

  Frankie shrugged. “And you?”

  “I’m definitely taken,” I said. Time for a change of topic. “What did you get up to while you were waiting for me?”

  “This and that,” said Frankie.

  I shook my head and looked out the window. If he wanted to behave like a man of mystery that was fine by me. After my time walking around the house, I was feeling sleepy and relaxed back into the seat. Flipper nestled his head on my lap, also seeming to think a nap would be a good idea.

  My eyes had only been closed for a few minutes before I felt the limousine slow. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Frankie glanced at me. “Just need to take care of a bit of business.”

  The privacy shield slid up, hiding me from Frankie’s view. I sat up swiftly in my seat. What was he doing?

  The passenger door opened, and Ignatius Cornell climbed in.

  I sucked in a breath, ignoring the thrumming of my nerves. “I didn’t realize we were picking you up on the way to the house.” If I had known, I’d have made other arrangements. Spending any time in an enclosed space with Ignatius was not something I relished.

  Ignatius tapped a knuckle on the privacy screen, and I felt the limousine start to move. He turned and looked at me in silence, his forehead wrinkled and his eyes narrowed.

  “Have you been out somewhere nice?” I asked him, as an uncomfortable sensation slid down my spine.

  “I wouldn’t say nice,” said Ignatius. He ignored Flipper, who sniffed his hands. After Flipper determined he wasn’t a threat, he settled his head back on my knee, his gaze remaining on Ignatius.

  “Business?”

  Ignatius nodded. “What have you been doing this morning?”

  His cold tone made me realize he wasn’t asking to be sociable. “Personal business.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as it’s personal,” I said. “Why do you need to know what I’m doing on my morning off?”

  “Because Elita has grown soft,” said Ignatius. “She barely knows you, but she’s letting you out of the house on your own and using the family vehicles.”

  “If I’d have known borrowing the limousine was going to cause you difficulty, I wouldn’t have done it,” I said.

  “The car is not the issue,” said Ignatius. “Elita should know better. She trusts too easily, though, and has always worn her heart on her sleeve. She’s never able to keep quiet about things.”

  “Why wouldn’t she trust me?”

  “I haven’t forgotten your friend is involved with a cop.”

  “They’re not involved,” I said. “And he’s a decent guy.”

  “No one decent ever works for the police,” said Ignatius. “Most of them are bent, anyway.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Because I’m the one who bends them.” Ignatius shot me a smug smile. “What’s the name of your policeman friend?”

  There was no way I was going to tell him anything about Gunner. “Helen’s not involved with a police officer. But even if she is, she wouldn’t let it affect her work for the family.”

  Ignatius adjusted the collar on his white shirt. “What’s your background?”

  “My work background?” I blinked at him. “Just ask Elita. She has everything about my work history and experience.”

  “Not the official information you put out to the public,” said Ignatius. “Where were you born? Who is your family? Where did you go to school? Who do you know?”

  “None of that is relevant to my work with you.” I realized my hands were clenched, and I forced myself to relax. This guy was creeping me out even more than usual.

  Ignatius’s eyes narrowed. “It’s all relevant if it impacts the family.”

  “It won’t,” I said. “I grew up in an ordinary family and went to a normal school. I didn’t go to a secret spy school if that’s what you’re trying to figure out.”

  Ignatius snorted. “You’d make a terrible spy. Your emotions are written all over your face.”

  I frowned. “So, you can tell I’m uncomfortable you’ve hitched a ride with me.”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” said Ignatius, “for now.”

  “Meaning?” I shifted in my seat, and my gaze went to the door handle. I bet Frankie had locked it, and it would be stupid to try to get out of a moving vehicle. But that didn’t mean I was
n’t tempted.

  “Mom tells me you see ghosts.”

  I tried not to show my surprise at the change in subject. “Why would she tell you that?”

  “She reckons she sees them too,” said Ignatius. “It’s not so strange in our family. People get these weird vibes and feelings. I have them myself.”

  This had my interest. “You can see ghosts?”

  Ignatius shrugged. “I didn’t say that. What do you see?”

  “I don’t see anything,” I said.

  “When you lie, your bottom lip trembles,” said Ignatius, his gaze on my mouth. “It’s your tell. Everyone has one.”

  I squeezed my lips together. “I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “You can be straight with me,” said Ignatius. “I won’t think you’re weird if you tell me you can see ghosts.”

  “That’s hardly comforting,” I said. “What makes you think your mom can see ghosts?”

  “The things she says are too accurate to be a coincidence. And she’s always gazing into the distance as if she can see something the rest of us can’t. My great grandmother had the same gift. Some people called her a witch. But I think she was just clever at reading people, seeing the little facial tics and gestures that gave away their secrets.”

  “Like you spotting my bottom lip shaking?”

  Ignatius smiled. “Exactly like that. So, since you can see ghosts, have you seen any around the house?”

  “No.”

  Ignatius tipped his head. “Seen Lonnie?”

  “If I had, what do you think he’d be telling me about you?” I tried to appear nonchalant as I looked out the tinted window.

  “He’d tell you to be careful,” said Ignatius, shifting closer to me. “He would also tell you not to say anything about the gold and where it’s hidden.”

  “Which suggests he doesn’t trust you,” I said. “If he’s hiding this gold from you, then he must think you want to do something bad with it.”

  “Not something bad,” said Ignatius. “But I don’t want to spend it on all those ruined kids.”

  “Lonnie’s charity sounds good. Why would you want to take that away?” I asked. “Don’t you want to carry on his legacy?”

  “The man was a deluded fool,” said Ignatius. “Once you’re in this life, you don’t get out. And why would you want to? You have everything you need, including the respect of others.”

  “But if you get that respect by frightening and hurting other people, is that right?”

  “That’s the way things are done,” said Ignatius. “Lonnie knew that. He was a fool for trying to change things.”

  “Fool enough for you to want him out of your way?” It was a dangerous question to ask, but I couldn’t avoid it.

  Ignatius grabbed my hand, and Flipper raised his head and growled.

  He shot a sharp glare at Flipper. “Keep your dog away from me if you don’t want him to get hurt.”

  “I’ve trained him to attack,” I said. “He won’t hesitate to bite you if he thinks you’re going to do me harm.”

  Ignatius dropped his tight hold on my hand. “I’d never kill Lonnie, although I wanted to more than once.”

  “What stopped you?” I tried to keep my voice as even as possible, even though my heart lurched in my chest.

  “He was my brother,” said Ignatius. “He was an idiot and soft in the head, but I still loved him. And he was family; you don’t go around destroying family. There are plenty of other targets to focus upon. More people to make vanish.”

  “You must have been frustrated about the gold, though,” I said. “If he kept it hidden from you, why not try to find it? Perhaps you went to talk to Lonnie when he was in the bath and he refused to help you. And you got mad and lashed out at him.”

  “It didn’t happen like that,” said Ignatius.

  “How did it happen?” I asked. “Supposing I can see Lonnie’s ghost and he’s telling me his death wasn’t an accident, why shouldn’t you be the top suspect?”

  “Because we’re family!” Ignatius raised his hands skyward as if that statement solved everything.

  That wasn’t a good enough reason for me to remove Ignatius as a suspect, but I didn’t know how much farther to push him. I was walking a dangerous line by asking these questions and had promised Zach I wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way. And looking at the deadly glare Ignatius was giving me, I’d done just that.

  “Lonnie should have known better,” said Ignatius. “He should look after the family first.”

  “You look well cared for,” I said.

  “The material things aren’t an issue.” Ignatius sat back in his seat. “But it’s always family first.”

  “Perhaps Lonnie no longer thought that, since he wouldn’t share the location of the gold with you.”

  “Has he told you something?” Ignatius’s gaze lasered in on me. “I have a right to know.”

  “I don’t know where the gold is,” I said. Well, I knew where a couple of bars were, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “You’d tell me if Lonnie revealed anything to you?” Ignatius shoved a hand inside his jacket, and I slid away from him, taking Flipper with me.

  “Relax.” Ignatius smirked as he opened his wallet and pulled out some money. “Thought you might like an incentive to help you remember.”

  The muscles in my neck cracked with tension. “Money won’t help me remember. And I haven’t even confirmed I can see Lonnie’s ghost. If you get these weird vibes, maybe you can see him yourself. Why don’t you ask him what happened to the gold?”

  Ignatius stuffed his wallet away and huffed loudly. “I don’t see him.”

  “Your mom said she can see him,” I said. “Get her to ask Lonnie what’s going on. There’s no reason for him to keep the location of the gold a secret from her.”

  “Mom would probably give it all away to the nearest orphanage.” Ignatius shook his head. “I’ll give you a day to remember everything you know about the missing gold.”

  I swallowed. “It won’t help.”

  “It will. This is a family matter. But the more people who learn about the gold, the more dangerous things will become for you.”

  “I’m not talking to anybody about the gold,” I said. “Who would I tell?”

  “Your friend’s policeman boyfriend.”

  I pressed my lips together again, determined not to reveal the lie I was about to say. “I wouldn’t do that. I barely know him.”

  “Make sure you don’t get to know him any better,” said Ignatius. “If I hear the police are sniffing around us, you’ll be the first person I come looking for and will want to know who you’ve been flapping your gums to.”

  “I never flap my gums,” I said.

  Ignatius tapped on the privacy shield, and the limousine slowed. “I’m getting out here.”

  “More business to deal with?”

  Ignatius shot me a glare. “Something like that. Take care of yourself, Lorna Shadow. And be careful about who you speak to. Word has a way of getting back to me. And you won’t like to see me when I’m unhappy.”

  I raised my eyebrows. If this was Ignatius being happy, then I didn’t want to see him with his grumpy head on.

  Flipper growled at Ignatius as he slid off the seat and out the passenger door, before slamming it behind him.

  I petted Flipper’s head as I calmed my breathing. I now had my top suspect in Lonnie’s murder. I just had to stay alive long enough to prove it was him.

  Chapter 16

  I spent a couple of hours working with Elita when I got back from my visit to our new house and my unpleasant encounter with Ignatius. My heart pounded every time I thought about the menacing words he’d left me with.

  After I finished work, I hurried to the kitchen and discovered Helen standing at the stove, stirring a large pot of something smelling of basil and oregano.

  “I thought we’d have Italian tonight,” said Helen, “since it’s in keeping with the fa
mily.”

  “Sounds great.” I slumped into a seat at the kitchen table.

  “Hard day?” asked Helen.

  I gave her a quick update about my visit to see Zach and my less lovely encounter with Ignatius afterwards.

  “Frankie must have tipped him off that I was alone,” I said. “I thought he was giving me an odd look when we were going to the house. Now, I know why.”

  “We need to keep away from Ignatius,” said Helen. “I don’t like the sound of his bullying one bit.”

  “It’s difficult, though,” I said. “When I saw Gunner, he was putting pressure on to find out more. He wants to solve this gold robbery and put the Cornells away.”

  “I’m not having him do that to you.” Helen placed the spoon she was holding on the table and took out her mobile, her fingers skimming across the keys. “That should stop him.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Told Gunner to back off,” said Helen. “He doesn’t have the right to hassle you.”

  “Does anybody?” I grinned at her.

  “I do, of course,” said Helen. “And Zach might boss you around now and again if you’re misbehaving too much. But Gunner, definitely not.”

  “I didn’t know you had his private number.”

  Helen blushed and waved a hand in the air. “That’s not the point. Let me know if he causes you any more trouble, and I’ll tell him off.”

  “That will solve things for me. I know how much he hates you hassling him.”

  “I give as good as I get when it comes to Gunner Booth,” said Helen. “His swagger doesn’t fool me.”

  I was about to sample a piece of garlic bread Helen had placed on the table, when Lonnie shot into view, spinning around me several times and waving his hands in the air.

  Flipper jumped up and chased Lonnie around the kitchen as he continued to careen past furniture and bump into chairs.

  Helen looked from me to Flipper. “I’m guessing from how pale you’ve gone and how weirdly Flipper’s behaving that we’ve got company.”

  “Lonnie’s here.” I watched as he continued to spin around the kitchen, waving his hands, a look of distress on his face. “And something is not right with him.”