Ghostly Business (Lorna Shadow Cozy Ghost Mystery Book 5)

by K. E. O'Connor

  “Leo found out about you?”

  “I found out about him,” said Nell. “It’s hard to ignore a name like the Babington’s. I came to the castle a few times as a visitor and looked around. It took me a while to believe I was supposed to be a part of this.”

  “You must have been angry you missed out on so much,” I said. “All the wealth and social status of living here.”

  Nell shrugged. “The family who adopted me were decent enough, but I always knew I was meant for greater things. I never fitted in with them, despite the places they took me and the schools they sent me to. In the end, they shoved me into some private school and I only saw my adoptive parents in the holidays. As soon as I could, I left home and spent a few years drifting around trying to find a purpose. I read about this place by chance in a magazine and then started to do my own investigation. You can imagine how surprised I was when I found some reference to Lady Babington going away for a summer sabbatical just around the time I was born. I traced back the records and what do you know, I was a part of all this.” She waved around her arms and laughed.

  “Leo must have been thrilled when you told him you were his sister.”

  Nell smiled and some of the anger slid from her face. “He was. Leo was a decent man. He took me under his wing, gave me this job, and told me he’d figure out a way to make me a proper part of the family. I’d been here a year before I realized he didn’t mean it, and was embarrassed about me.”

  “I’m sure he wasn’t,” I said.

  “He never told any of his children about me,” said Nell. “And he never told Lady Cordelia or Monty.”

  “Maybe he was just waiting for the right time,” I said.

  “If it had been the other way around I’d have introduced him to everyone without a second of hesitation. I’d have been so proud to have Leo as family. I’d have shown him off to everyone.”

  I looked carefully at Nell and saw how nervous she was, her hands shaky and her eyes darting around the office.

  “And then Leo died,” I said. “That must have hit you hard. You were only just getting to know each other.”

  “It probably hit him harder.” Nell tittered and slapped a hand over her mouth. “I shouldn’t say that.”

  I straightened my spine and took a deep breath. “I don’t think Leo’s death was an accident.”

  Nell’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think happened to him?”

  “Someone smothered him in his sleep.”

  “Have you asked Lady Cordelia about that? She didn’t think much of her husband.”

  “And what did you think about Leo?” I asked. “If he was embarrassed about introducing you to his family that must have been hard to take. Perhaps so hard you decided to do something about it. And he has left you a lot of money in this will.”

  Nell snorted a laugh. “That will is pathetic. You should have seen the one he wrote before that.”

  “There's another will! What was in that one?”

  “He left me everything,” said Nell. “Well, almost everything. He decided his family had enough assets and they could do what they liked with the castle. But he planned to set up a charity just for the animal sanctuary. He was going to get me to run it, and was leaving me eighty percent of everything he owned, so I would have enough to keep the sanctuary going forever. It was going to be his legacy. I was going to make it happen, make him proud of me.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “That was generous of him. But what changed? Why did he write this will instead?”

  “He said he wasn’t sure I could be relied upon. Something about me being unhealthily obsessed with the cats. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, he loved them as much as I do. He was always hanging out here talking to the cats and telling them his secrets. He seemed to think only he had the right to do that, and I was the crazy one because I wanted to spend my time with four-legged friends rather than him. So, he made an amendment to the will, he still left me some money, but he didn’t want me to be involved with this sanctuary. And that wasn’t right. I had to make sure that didn’t happen.”

  “So you killed him.”

  Nell carried on as if I hadn’t spoken. “Leo said he was going to set the sanctuary up as a charity and get a professional in to run it. I’m professional when it comes to the animals. I love them and always do what’s best for them. But he wouldn’t listen to me, he kept telling me I should get some help and needed to spend more time with actual people.”

  I looked at the will again. “After you killed Leo, you realized you had the rest of his family in your way. And you needed to get rid of them and then reveal your connection to get the rest of the estate. Was that your plan?”

  “People are harder to kill than I thought they’d be,” said Nell. “I was sure I’d crushed Julius with that truck. But when I looked out the cab window he was still waving his arms around and screaming. I was just about to reverse over him when I heard shouts from inside the castle and realized he’d been spotted. I only just managed to get away without being seen. And I was sure I’d be able to get rid of Tabitha thanks to her terrible driving. I knew what cable I needed to cut through, so it would be easy to make her crash look accidental. But she survived.”

  “And Montgomery? What were you going to do with him?”

  “I couldn't resist the opportunity to take him down when I spotted him lurking around the cat houses.” Nell's eyes glazed over. “I was thinking of throwing him in the lake. I was going to do it as soon as I’d knocked him out, but I heard footsteps and had to hide him and disappear before someone spotted me. I didn’t think anyone would discover him in the maintenance room, so it would have been easy for me to return and finish the job.”

  “And Lady Cordelia? Was she also on your hit list?”

  An evil smirk spread across Nell’s face. “I had big plans for her, especially considering what she wants to do with our lovely cats.”

  I shuddered. “And Leo?”

  “Poor Leo,” said Nell. “I smothered him with a cat bed. The one he kept in his bedroom that the enormous ginger cat liked to sleep in. That poor cat got accused of all sorts of things after Leo died.”

  I recalled how Big Ginge reacted every time someone suggested he had sat on Leo’s face and killed him in his sleep. No wonder he got angry.

  “I did feel sorry that I had to do that to Leo. But he wasn’t listening to reason. Every time I confronted him about the changes he was making to his will he got angry. What you’ve got there is his most recent will. None of the family have seen it, other than Cordelia, and they won’t like it when they do. It means their money will be diverted to the cats.”

  “Lady Cordelia knows about you?”

  “She had her suspicions, especially since she’s read that will and seen my name in there. Of course, I use a different surname in day-to-day life, so she couldn’t prove anything right away. But I knew she was looking into my background and she wanted me out of the way. That’s why she sacked me and had me arrested for spray painting her car.”

  “You didn’t do that?”

  “She probably did it herself,” said Nell. “She’d do anything to get rid of me. But believe me, the feeling is mutual.”

  “The family have a right to know what happened to Leo,” I said.

  “And I have a right to what’s mine,” said Nell. “And these cats have a right to live out the rest of their lives without worrying about being thrown away or abused like they’ve already been. Nobody should ever be abandoned, it’s not fair.”

  The door behind Nell seemed like a long way away as she advanced towards me, her fingers reaching out towards the will on the desk.

  “I can’t let you have this.” I grabbed the will and clutched it to my chest, ignoring the scent of cat pee that drifted up my nose. “It’s only fair that Leo gets justice for what happened to him.”

  “So long as these cats are well looked after, Leo won’t care what happened to him.” Nell held her hand out. “Give me that will
. I thought putting it in a litter box was a fitting end to the copy I had. But then I got arrested just before I was able to burn it. And now you’ve found it, which is a shame, because I get the impression you love animals.”

  I backed away from Nell. “I do. I love them. Nothing bad will happen to these cats while I’m working here.”

  “But you’re not going to be working here for much longer,” said Nell. “I need you out of the way so I can get rid of the family and claim what’s mine. If you go telling the police or anyone else what you know, my plans will be ruined.”

  I continued to back away and walked through an intense cold spot. My breath plumed out in front of me and I shuddered as I saw Leo materialize by the desk.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked Nell.

  “I’ve just seen a ghost,” I said.

  “You’ll soon be a ghost.” Nell crouched down and glared at me. “I’ll take that will from you if I have to pry it from your cold dead fingers.”

  “I could do with some help here,” I said to Leo. “Here’s your killer.”

  Nell’s eyebrows shot up and she glanced over her shoulder. “Who are you talking to?”

  I licked my lips. “Leo.”

  Nell laughed, but her gaze shot around the office. “Leo is dead. I should know, I was there when he took his last breath.”

  Leo frowned at Nell and then looked over at me.

  “She did it,” I said to him. “She didn’t like the changes you made to your will. She wanted more of the family estate. She felt she was owed it after what happened to her.”

  “I was owed it,” said Nell. “Stop talking to yourself and give me that will.”

  Leo shot through the air towards Nell and shoved her backwards.

  She staggered a few steps and frowned, before advancing towards me again.

  Leo wrapped his arms around her and spun towards the door.

  Nell let out a yelp. “What’s happening?”

  “Leo is not happy with you,” I said.

  “But Leo’s... dead.”

  “But he’s not at rest,” I said. “How can he be after you killed him?”

  “I only did it to get what I was entitled to,” gasped Nell, as Leo let go of her and spun her towards the door.

  Nell flung her arms in front of her face as Leo shoved her again. She staggered backwards and landed in one of the big buckets of cat litter stored in the corner of the office.

  Leo flung the office door open and Flipper, Big Ginge, and the three cats who’d been following Flipper around, ran into the room and launched themselves at Nell.

  She screamed and covered her face with her hands as Flipper landed on her chest and lay down, while the cats circled her, hissing and nipping her hands and any exposed pieces of skin they could find.

  “Get them off me!” Nell tried to push Flipper off her chest, but he bared his teeth and growled at her.

  “I thought you loved animals,” I said to her, relief running through me as I saw Flipper and the cats doing an amazing job of restraining Nell.

  “I normally do,” said Nell. “But these ones are possessed. I don’t know what’s wrong with them, animals love me.”

  “They don’t love you now,” I said. “Not after what you’ve done to Leo, or what you tried to do to everybody else.”

  A whimpering moan came out of Nell. “I deserve that money.”

  I looked over at Leo and could see his ghost was already fading. “Are you happy?” I asked him. “We found out who killed you and you can be at peace now. And the rest of your family are safe as well. I’ll make sure the police know what happened and your new will is read.”

  Leo drifted over towards me and pressed an icy kiss on my cheek before blinking out of sight.

  I lifted the phone on the desk and dialed the police.

  Chapter 23

  “And as a thank you for what you did apprehending that dreadful Nell, you may stay in your job if you wish.” Lady Cordelia peered at me from the other side of her desk.

  “And no more cat litter duties?” I asked.

  Lady Cordelia pressed her lips together. “No more litter duties unless you wish there to be. And the sanctuary is staying. It can be Leo’s legacy. He clearly wanted the cats to remain here.”

  “And what about his new will?” I asked. It had been twenty-four hours since Nell had confessed to everything. Since then, I’d barely had a moment to myself as I'd explained everything to the police, updated the family, and made sure they all got to see what was in Leo’s most recent will.

  “That’s a family matter.” Lady Cordelia leaned back in her chair and sighed. “But I will ensure his most recent requests are undertaken. I might not agree with his fascination with cats, but I see they were the biggest love of his life and he wanted to make sure they were well provided for. The relevant paperwork is with our solicitors and the matter will be taken into hand. The cats’ futures are secured.”

  “That’s all I wanted to hear,” I said.

  Lady Cordelia looked at the corner of her desk, where Big Ginge was fast asleep, curled in a patch of sunshine. She leaned over and stroked his head. “And I must admit, this one is beginning to grow on me. I just wish he wouldn’t keep leaving his fur balls everywhere.”

  “Love cats, love fur balls.” I stood and smiled at Lady Cordelia. “And since I did help figure out what happened to Leo, I don’t suppose Helen and I can have the rest of the day off? We’re house hunting you see, and need to go and look at a few places.”

  Lady Cordelia narrowed her eyes but then nodded. “Take the day off. I could do with some time off myself. Finding out Leo was murdered and some crazy woman was trying to bump off the rest of us is enough to give everybody a shock. Let’s start afresh tomorrow morning. You meet me here and we’ll get to work on my admin.”

  I left the office with a smile on my face, giving Helen a thumbs-up as I spotted her on the stairs. She grinned at me and raced away.

  I got the impression everything was going to be okay between me and Lady Cordelia from now on. We hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts, but I’d shown her I was more than capable, and now Leo’s ghost had gone, things would get back to normal.

  As I walked out the front of the castle, I saw Sebastien standing by a waiting taxi. He raised his hand when he saw me.

  “I’m glad I’ve seen you.” He walked over to me. “Just been getting my final things together.”

  “So it’s all over with you and Lady Cordelia?”

  “I promised you I’d finish it with her,” said Sebastien.

  “And how did she take it?”

  “Better than I thought she would,” said Sebastien. “She was angry with me for the way I spoke to Julius. And he did exactly what I thought he would, and told her all about our fight. But I refused to apologize and said I couldn’t handle her spoiled children. I also said I wanted some freedom to go traveling, and she hated that idea. We’ve agreed to remain friends.”

  “And did you take any money from her?”

  “Not a penny,” said Sebastien. “And before you ask, I didn’t accept Julius’s offer of money either.”

  “But you were tempted,” I said to him.

  “It was half a million pounds!” Sebastien gave me a look of mock surprise. “Even you’d have been tempted by that amount.”

  I gave him a hug and we said our goodbyes just as Helen hurried out of the front door, her car keys in hand.

  “Come on, we’re going to be late.” She grabbed hold of my elbow and led me to her car.

  “I’ve never seen you so keen on house hunting.” I slid into the passenger seat and Flipper jumped into the back seat.

  “Zach reckons this place is ideal,” said Helen, as we shot along the driveway and out onto the road. “It’s only half an hour from here as well, so if you decide not to tell Lady Cordelia where she can stick her job, it will be perfect for us.”

  “I’m keeping the job,” I said. “I’ve come to an understanding with Lady Cor
delia. And I even think she’s thawing on the issue of the cats.”

  “I knew she would,” said Helen. “She knows how brilliant you are at what you do, and who doesn’t love cats.”

  “The sanctuary stays as do all the cats,” I said. “And Sandy gets to keep her job as well.”

  “But not Nell,” said Helen.

  “No. She was in shock after being hassled by the animals,” I said. “Plus the ghost attack by Leo. She was babbling to the police as they led her away about some spirit attacking her. She’s not going to have anything to do with cats for a long time.”

  “Serves her right,” said Helen. “What about Tabitha’s gross cat fur addiction? They won’t be safe from her if she’s still around.”

  “Lady Cordelia was made aware of that nasty problem, and Tabitha is being packed off on an extended retreat. I have a feeling it will involve a lot of therapy.”

  “And the animal park?”

  “On ice for now, but I think it will happen in the future.”

  “Well, so long as the cats can stay and they’re safe, that’s the main thing,” said Helen. “And of course, Leo isn’t bothering you anymore.”

  “Leo’s gone, and he seemed happy now all his requests can be carried out.”

  “Excellent. Now, keep a look out for a sign for Beaumont Fields.”

  “Is that where the house is?”

  “It’s around that area.” Helen grinned at me as she guided the car around a corner.

  I looked at her suspiciously. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Just you wait,” said Helen. “But I think you’re going to love it.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up behind Zach’s Land Rover. Zach and Gunner were both leaning against it when we arrived.

  Zach walked over and gave me a kiss as I got out of the car.

  “So, where is this wonderful house?” I looked around the country lane we'd stopped on and only spotted a couple of tiny cottages, a village shop, and a pub.