“What? That can’t be right.” Archie looked between the two women. “If I’ve appeared to you then does that mean that whoever killed me has got away with it?”
“It could be the case,” Grace admitted. Grace thought about the young woman ghost who was wearing the wedding dress. She’d said to Grace, ‘Will you help her?’ Who was she talking about? Was the person who murdered Archie planning to kill again?
Chapter 4
Archie sat on the suitcase that came with the locker contents, a frown on his face. “Who would want to kill me? I don’t think I had any enemies. But then, I suppose most people think that, don’t they?”
Pearl sat next to Archie. Grace noted that Pearl was so close she was almost sitting on Archie’s knee.
In a gentle voice Grace explained, “From the murders that I’ve dealt with, the murderer has been known to the victim. Sometimes it’s a member of the family.
Archie said, “We invited all our family and friends to the party.” He paused, looked down at his wedding ring and then back at Grace. “I seem to think we left someone out. There was some sort of bad feeling but I don’t think it was on my part. I try to get along with everyone, I don’t see the point of carrying grudges round with me.”
Pearl patted his knee. “That’s because you’re a real gentleman. I can tell, I’ve met many men in my life, most of them weren’t gentlemen.”
Grace said, “Can you remember more about this person that didn’t come to the wedding? Was it male or female?”
Archie shook his head. “No, sorry, I can’t remember. I’m being completely useless, I do apologise.”
Pearl patted Archie’s thigh. “No need to apologise. Grace will work everything out in the end. She’s a bit slow with her investigations but, like the tortoise, she gets there eventually.”
Grace pressed her lips together. At times like this she never knew if Pearl was being insulting or paying her a compliment. A bit of both, she supposed.
However, back to Archie. Grace questioned him further. “So, we know you died after your wedding, probably during or after the dancing. Did you die at the hotel? Or was it somewhere else?”
Archie ran his hand through his hair again. Grace briefly registered the thickness of his hair, and the young style. It suited him. She blinked and gave herself a mental shake. If she didn’t control herself she’d end up mooning over him, just like Pearl was doing. Had Pearl moved even closer to him?
Archie said, “I think I died in our suite, the honeymoon suite. The last thought I had was that someone had done something to me. As my eyes closed I felt the softness of the carpet on my cheek. It was a lovely carpet, one of those thick ones you want to walk on in your bare feet.”
Grace nodded. “Okay, so it would be a good thing for me to visit the hotel. I could have a look at the honeymoon suite. It would help if you could come with me, Archie.”
“How?” he asked. “I’m not even sure how I moved from that locker to here. And speaking of lockers, why was I in one?”
“Ghosts sometimes attach themselves to something, an item that means a lot to them. Wherever the item goes then the ghost goes too.” Grace looked at the contents she and Frankie had brought in. “Do you recognise these items? Is there anything in particular that you feel a strong attraction to?”
Archie stood up and moved amongst the items Pearl was at his side like a shadow. Archie shook his head. “I’ve never seen these things before. My gran used to have a lamp like that one over there, but it was a different colour.”
“There must be something. Please look again,” Grace insisted.
Archie indicated towards the suitcase that he’d been sitting on. “Apart from my case, there’s nothing. Oh! The suitcase! Of course. I’m attached to that. Sorry, I’m not usually this slow, Grace.”
Grace smiled at him. “It’s fine. Let me try something.” She picked the suitcase up, walked through the kitchen and out of the back door. She stood in the yard, placed the case on the floor and waited. Within two seconds Archie was at her side.
He laughed. “So, I am attached to it. That’s so strange. Be careful what you do with that case! I don’t want to end up somewhere unsavoury for all eternity!”
Grace looked at Archie for a moment. His good humour seemed forced, she could see the sadness in his eyes. She said to him, “I’m sorry you’re having to go through this, it can’t be easy. When I’ve found out who murdered you and, hopefully, brought them to justice, then there won’t be any need for you to stay here.”
Archie put his hands in his pocket. In a quiet voice he said, “But where will I go? Will I be all alone? I’m not the kind of person who likes being alone.”
“The other ghosts that I’ve helped have been happy to go. They sort of glow and then head towards a white light. There’s always a feeling of joy and peace about them so it must be a wonderful place that they go to. Once, I heard voices on the other side of the light, they were cheering for the ghost to come forward. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
Archie gave Grace a direct look. “Thank you for explaining that, and thank you for helping me. I’ve only known you a short while but I can tell you’re a good person.”
Grace felt a warmth flood her cheeks. She mumbled, “It’s okay.”
She jumped as there was a sharp rap on the kitchen window. Pearl glared out at them and indicated, rather rudely Grace thought, for them to come back in.
Archie laughed. “She’s, what my grandad would call, a real firecracker. Is Pearl attached to something? Can she leave the shop?”
“Pearl doesn’t tell me much about herself. She says she tells me what I need to know and nothing more.” Grace picked up the suitcase and walked into the kitchen.
Pearl looked furious. “There’s a bloody ghost that has been dancing around the shop! She’s driving me mad!”
“What ghost?” Grace asked.
“The one in the wedding dress. She keeps wailing about helping someone. She’s getting on my nerves! Grace, you’ll have to sort her out.”
Grace took the suitcase into the shop and put it down. Archie appeared at her side. Grace said, “I can’t see her anywhere, can you?”
Archie pointed towards some shelves. “I can see her. I wish I could remember where I’ve seen her before.”
“Oi!” Pearl called out. “Dancing girl! Stop that right now!”
“Pearl! You’ll scare her away!” Grace warned.
Archie said, “She’s stopped dancing now. What’s she doing? She’s putting her fingers to her lips as if she knows a secret.”
“Can you talk to her? Find out her name?” Grace asked.
Archie shook his head. “She’s gone now.”
Grace sighed. What did the young woman know? And why wasn’t she showing herself to Grace?
Chapter 5
Grace said, “I think I should go to The Sycamore Hotel, I can go today. I could pretend I’m thinking of booking a wedding there.”
“Good luck with that,” Archie said. “Be prepared to be intimidated. I never cared for the hotel but Gordon insisted on having it there. I think he liked the status that it gave him.”
Grace looked down at her clothes. “Should I change? I think I might have a business suit at home.”
Archie smiled. “You look perfect, just as you are. Do you want me to go with you?”
Grace glanced at the suitcase. “I’m not sure how it would look with me carrying that suitcase around if I’m only enquiring about booking the hotel. Do you think you’re attached to anything in particular inside the case? Do you mind if we take a look?”
Archie shrugged. “I don’t mind at all.”
Pearl said, “I bet you’ve got some lovely clothes. You look like a man of taste.”
Grace knelt, unzipped the case and opened it. Everything inside had been packed neatly. Archie crouched at her side. He said, “These are my honeymoon clothes. I’ve never worn them.”
Grace could sense his sadness. �
�Would you mind if I took some items out? See if there’s anything hidden away.”
“You go ahead. Don’t mind me, I’m being a miserable so and so. There’s just something sad about clothes that have never been worn.”
Grace tried to lighten the mood. “I have plenty of clothes that have never been worn. I get them in the sales, usually in a smaller size, in the hope they will fit me one day. I call them my ‘optimistic clothes’. My problem is that I like cake and chocolate too much!”
“You’ve got a lovely figure, why would you want to lose weight?” Archie asked.
Grace felt her cheeks heating up again. As lovely as his compliments were Grace wished he would stop, she was trying to be professional.
Grace laid Archie’s clothes out in a line at the side of the suitcase. Her hand froze as she touched an item. “Oh. Sorry, Archie, these seem to be your wedding clothes, the ones that you’re wearing now.”
Archie’s brow wrinkled. “That’s strange. Why would my wedding suit be in there? I wasn’t planning on taking it on honeymoon. In fact, Sylvia, that’s Gordon’s wife, told me to leave my suit behind. She said she would arrange for it to be cleaned whilst we were away.”
Grace gently picked up the wedding suit jacket, trousers and shirt, and placed them to one side. She peered into the case. “Even your wedding tie is in here. I do like that colour. It’s like a deep red.”
“Yes, I like it too. I chose it. Like I said, Jessie wasn’t interested in all of this. It’s a good job I had Sylvia to help me with the organising of the wedding, she’s got a good eye for fashion. She used to be a model in her younger days. Jessie is nothing like her. She doesn’t bother with make up and fancy products. Not that she needs to, she’s beautiful. She doesn’t even wear perfume.”
Grace looked at the wedding clothes. A niggling thought flew into her head, and just as swiftly, it flew out again.
Archie gave an embarrassed laugh. “Don’t look at all my lotions! I know it’s not very manly but I like to look after myself.”
Pearl’s voice floated down to them. “I like a man who looks after himself too.”
Grace had almost forgotten Pearl was there. She looked again into the suitcase, it was empty. She waved her arm over the items that she had taken out. “Is there anything of sentimental value here? I could try taking each item outside and see what you’re attached to.”
“Oh no! I won’t having you doing that. I’m sorry, Grace, I’m not thinking straight. My head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton wool.” Archie coughed. “My throat is staring to feel sore again. What do you think it means?”
Grace straightened up. “It could be related to how you died. I’ll go to The Sycamore Hotel and see what I can find out. I’m not sure if I will find anything but it’s always worthwhile visiting the ...” She stopped and stared at the suitcase.
Archie stood up. “It’s all right, you can say it. You need to visit the crime scene.”
Grace gave a slight nod. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
Pearl put her hand on Archie’s arm. “You stay here with me, I’ll look after you.”
Grace didn’t miss the flash of panic in Archie’s eyes. Being the gent that he was, he quickly recovered and said thank you to Pearl.
Grace’s last view of the ghosts was Pearl leading Archie away towards the other side of the shop. They slowly faded as they walked.
Where were they going?
And, more importantly, would Archie be all right?
Grace smiled. He would have to fend for himself. She needed to get to The Sycamore Hotel. It was already getting dark outside, she didn’t want to be out too late.
When she arrived at The Sycamore Hotel thirty minutes later she was thankful for the dark, it hid the rusty spots that covered Frankie’s van. She promised herself, again, that she would get her own car soon.
Grace gave her hair a quick brush before she left the van. She looked at herself in the mirror and shrugged. She’d have to do.
She entered through a huge revolving door. She took a few steps forwards and stopped. It wasn’t the opulence of her surroundings that made her heart almost stop, it was the sight of the wedding dress ghost. She was here and she was waving to Grace.
Grace moved towards her.
Chapter 6
The young woman smiled at Grace and held her dress out. She said, “Do you like my dress? Well, it isn’t really mine but I’m sure she didn’t mind me trying it on.”
Grace glanced towards the reception area. A smart-looking woman stood behind the desk talking to a group of people. No one was paying Grace any attention.
Grace whispered to the ghost, “Who are you? And who are you talking about? Who does that dress belong to?”
“Jessie, of course. I met her here. She’s lovely. She wouldn’t mind me wearing this dress. It’s mine now.” The woman twirled around, the skirt of the dress flew outwards.
Grace said, “Do you mean Jessie that married Archie? The ghost that you were dancing with earlier?”
The woman nodded. “He’s gorgeous! Far too old for me but he’s cute. I’ve been watching you in your shop. That old woman fancies Archie! She had her hands all over him!”
The woman put her hands to her mouth and giggled. Grace tried to guess her age. Twenty-five? Maybe younger? Grace asked for her name again.
“I’m Lily. Do you like my name? I love it. It’s Mum’s favourite flower. She used to call me her ‘Little Flower’.” Lily looked down at the marble floor. “She stopped calling me that a few years ago, after the trouble.”
Trouble? What trouble? And did it have anything to do with Archie?
Grace would have to save those questions for later. “Lily, when I saw you at the storage unit place earlier you said I had to help someone. Who did you mean? Why do they need help?”
Lily’s hands flew to her ears, her eyes squeezed shut. “No! I don’t want to think about it! The pictures won’t get out of my head!”
In a soft voice Grace said, “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me now. But if you do want me to help someone I will need to know more. The person that you want me to help – do they have anything to do with Archie?”
Lily’s eyes were still closed. Grace wasn’t sure if Lily heard her question or if she chose to ignore it.
Music blared out from a nearby room. Lily’s hands dropped and her eyes sprang open. She cried out, “Oh! The dancing! It’s the dancing time. I love dancing!”
She picked up the skirt of her dress and ran towards where the music was coming from. Grace checked behind her, the woman on reception was still busy with her customers so Grace followed Lily.
Lily skipped into a large room. As soon as Grace walked in she knew it was a wedding party. On the dance floor the groom lovingly held his bride in a tender embrace. They looked into each other’s eyes as they moved around the dance floor watched by their family and friends.
Grace’s eyes prickled. Thoughts of Archie flooded her head. Had he looked just like that groom as he’d danced with his new wife? Were their heads full of shared hopes and dreams for the future? What a waste. Grace felt a rush of sympathy for Archie’s widowed wife.
A voice chimed out in Grace’s head, it sounded very much like Pearl’s, ‘Don’t feel any sympathy for his wife, she might have been the one who murdered him!’
Grace pressed her lips together. That was true. She hadn’t met Jessie yet but it was possible that she could have killed Archie. Grace didn’t know what Jessie’s motive would have been, but that was something she needed to find out.
Lily had skipped onto the dance floor. She spread her arms wide and began to dance around the newly married couple. With a smile on her face she looked like some sort of angel bestowing good wishes on the couple. The slow song ended and the couple kissed. Faster music started up and people made their way to the floor. Lily clapped in delight and began to dance amongst them.
Grace could see that she wouldn’t get any more information from Lily at
the moment so she left the room and headed back towards the reception area.
The woman behind the desk was now free. She looked up as Grace approached her. Grace smiled. The woman didn’t return it. She looked Grace up and down and moved slightly backwards. Grace’s smile faltered. She was quite sure she didn’t have the plague. How rude!
“May I help you?” the woman asked coldly.
Grace noticed her name badge – ‘Ms R. Berry’. A snort nearly escaped from Grace. R. Berry? Like ‘raspberry’? What an unfortunate name.
Grace held her head high and said, “I’d like to enquire about making a booking.”
“For what?” Ms Berry said.
“For a wedding. My wedding,” Grace replied, keeping herself calm.
Ms Berry looked at Grace’s left hand, her eyebrows raised. “Your wedding? And when are you planning to get married? May I ask if you are already engaged?”
Grace felt heat rush through her. There was no need for such rudeness. She said, “I don’t think that’s any of your business. I want to book a wedding reception here, are you able to accommodate me or not?”
Ms Berry folded her arms, her lips curled as she looked Grace up and down again. “This is an exclusive hotel, it’s out of budget for most people. Are you sure you want to consider this hotel?”
Grace took a step closer. In a firm voice she said, “Yes, I do. And what’s more I’d like to see the honeymoon suite. Is that a problem? Or do I need to speak to the manager?”
Ms Berry stared at Grace. Grace held her stare and didn’t flinch.
Eventually, Ms Berry blinked. She sighed and reached under the desk. She pulled something out and handed it to Grace. It was a glossy brochure.
Ms Berry said, “You’ll find all our information in there, including the prices. We have a three- year waiting list, and if you do make a booking,” she paused and looked at Grace as if highly doubting it, “you’ll need to pay a deposit of £20,000.”
A deposit?
Murder Vows (Storage Ghost Murders Book 4) Page 2
