Grace nodded as if that sum of money meant nothing to her. “And the honeymoon suite? I’d like to see it now, please.”
Ms Berry allowed her smirk to fully develop. With great satisfaction she said, “You can’t see it, it’s booked for tonight.”
Chapter 7
Grace wasn’t going to be put off that easily. She said, “Then I’d like to book an appointment to see it another day. I could make it tomorrow.”
Ms Berry’s smirk dropped. She pulled an open book towards herself, looked down at it and said, “We can’t do tomorrow. The earliest is Tuesday at 10pm. You could look at the room online, you don’t need to see it in person.”
“I’d like to see it in person,” Grace replied calmly. “Please could you book me in. Thank you.”
Ms Berry said, “Just for yourself or will your ... fiancé be coming with you?”
“I don’t know yet.” Grace gave Ms Berry her details. Really! It was a wonder they had any bookings at all with an attitude like that.
Satisfied that her details had been written down correctly Grace said a polite thank you and headed towards the main door. Grace jumped as Lily suddenly appeared in front of her.
Lily cried out, “You have to see the room now! You have to help her!”
Grace whispered, “I can’t! It’s booked.”
Lily gestured towards the dancing room. “The bride and groom are busy, they won’t be going to the honeymoon suite for ages.”
Grace looked back over her shoulder. The icy glare from Ms Berry sent a chill down her back. Lily saw who Grace was looking at and said, “I’ll deal with her.”
Lily swooped through the air and landed at the side of Ms Berry. With a smile on her face she gently moved her hands down Ms Berry’s back. Ms Berry seemed to go in to a trance, just like the bidders did at the auction that morning. Knowing that the trance wouldn’t last long Grace spun on her heel and ran past the frozen Ms Berry and down the nearest corridor.
Lily was at her side a second later. “This way!”
Grace followed Lily towards a set of stairs. They went up two flights and then turned left. Grace stopped when they came to a door which held a plaque that confirmed they’d arrived at the honeymoon suite.
Checking that no one was around Grace said, “Now what? How are we supposed to get in?”
Lily giggled, her hand flew to her mouth as if trying to keep it in. “I know how to get in. The lock is faulty. Turn it quickly to the left twice and it should open.”
Grace was about to ask Lily how she knew that but thought better of it. Her heart was already racing at the thought of breaking in to a room. She wanted to get in, have a look around and then get out as quickly as she could.
Grace grabbed the handle and did as Lily advised. There was a click and the door opened.
“Phew!” Lily said. “I’m glad they haven’t fixed it yet. I didn’t know if that old trick would still work.” She gave Grace a bright smile and then ran into the room.
Grace frowned. Who was Lily? And how did she know about the lock?
Grace entered the honeymoon suite. Her feet sank into the carpet. She remembered what Archie had said about the thickness of the carpet and, just for a moment, Grace was tempted to take her shoes and socks off and wiggle her toes in to the luxury fibres.
No. She didn’t have time for that.
Grace closed the door behind her and stepped further into the room. Her mouth dropped open. Wow! The things that money could get you. She gazed at the magnificent pictures that hung on the flocked-velvet wallpaper. She stared at the enormous four-poster bed. Was that a king-size? It looked bigger. What did you call a bed that was bigger than king size?
There was a door leading off the room at one side. It was ajar and Grace could see the gold taps of a bath. At the other side of the room were two sets of wooden doors. Walk-in wardrobes?
Lily danced around the room, holding her skirt out. “It’s a beautiful room, isn’t it? I love it. Have you seen the balcony? There’s a lovely view, have a look.”
Grace walked towards some French doors. The curtains were pulled back and she could see the small balcony that lay outside. It was set with a small table and two chairs.
Grace sighed. How wonderful to come to a room like this after your wedding. Look! Boxes of chocolates dotted around the room. And not ordinary chocolates that you could get from a magazine. No, Grace had seen pictures of this brand of chocolate in a magazine. They could only be imported from Switzerland. Grace’s mouth watered. Now was not the time to be drooling over forbidden chocolates.
Grace stood in the centre of the room and tried to imagine Archie standing here. How did he die? She looked at the carpet. Had there been a loss of blood? Was this the same carpet that Archie had stood on? Had the killer been in the room at the time? If Lily knew about the dodgy lock then maybe someone else did too. Grace looked again at the French windows. This room was only one storey up, someone could have easily climbed up somehow and surprised Archie.
Oh! Too many questions!
Grace still hadn’t got any answers from Lily and how she knew Archie. She opened her mouth to ask her something. “Lily, can you...?”
Lily abruptly swooped over and placed an icy cold hand over Grace’s mouth. She hissed, “Shh! Someone’s coming! Hide!”
Lily disappeared.
Grace looked from left to right. Hide? Where?
She thought her heart actually stopped when she heard the rattle of the door handle.
Chapter 8
Grace heard a creak and then a cry of, “Over here!”
One of the doors to the walk-in wardrobes was open, Lilly was inside and gesturing to Grace. Grace didn’t hesitate, she raced towards the wardrobes and flung herself inside. There was plenty of room inside. Grace swiftly pulled the door shut and then held her breath. Lily’s eyes were as wide as the grin on her face. Grace got the impression that she seemed to think that everything was a game.
A female voice shot through the quiet. “I told Old Raspberry that I couldn’t do everything! But would she listen? No! Thinks we should jump to attention every time she opens her mouth. Never gives anyone else’s opinion a second thought! I’m telling you, Carol, one of these days I’m going to pack this job in!”
Through a gap in the wardrobe door Grace saw a harassed-looking maid rushing forwards carrying something in her hands. She placed it down, whipped out a duster and gave it a quick once-over.
Grace turned at the sound of Lily’s giggle. Lily said, “She forgot the champagne!”
Grace could now see a bottle standing inside a silver wine cooler next to the bed. A second maid entered her view. Carol?
Carol moved the wine cooler a few inches to the right. “Keep your mind on the job, Beth. You know how particular Old Raspberry is. She’ll probably be up here in a minute to check that we’ve done everything right.”
Beth disappeared from view but Grace heard her. “What’s wrong with that sour-faced old trout? Why is she so mean? She’s always going on about hotel stuff, nothing we do is ever good enough for this fancy hotel. She probably thinks she owns it! She needs to get a life, sad cow.”
Carol took out a duster and cleaned the bottle again. “Don’t be so harsh on her, she’s had a hard time. I think the hotel is the only thing she has in her life now. Have you got the rose petals? Are you going to put them on or shall I?”
Grace heard a tut from Beth. “I think I can manage that small job. You can feel sorry for Old Raspberry but I won’t. She doesn’t deserve any sympathy.”
Grace saw red rose petals being flung on to the bed. Carol clasped her hands behind her back as if to stop herself from rearranging the petals. Grace glanced at Lily. She was shocked to see tears running down her cheeks.
Beth complained non-stop as she and Carol vacated the room, firmly closing the door behind them.
Grace let out a slow breath. She opened the doors and stepped out. “That was close, Lily. I’m glad they didn’t need to come i
n here, I’m not sure how I would have explained myself. Lily? Are you all right?”
Lily nodded and tried to smile. Her smile froze as something in front of her caught her attention. She screamed. “No! I don’t want to see it again!”
Grace turned to where Lily was looking. There was nothing there. What was Lily seeing? Did it have something to do with Archie? Was Lily there when Archie died?
Grace said, “Lily, please calm down. Whatever you’re seeing, it can’t hurt you.”
Lily looked at Grace, her eyes wide with fear. “But it does hurt me, it hurts my heart.”
The young woman shimmered and then disappeared. Grace waited a moment to see if she would come back. She didn’t.
Grace was aware of the comment that Carol had made about ‘Old Raspberry’ coming to check on the room. She had no doubts that the maids were referring to Ms R. Berry. Grace certainly didn’t want to be caught in this room if Ms Berry walked in. She had a quick scan of the room but didn’t think she’d remember everything in it.
She left the room at high speed and made her way downstairs. Reception was ahead of her but Grace spotted a door to the side that led to the garden. She went through it and was soon out on to a lawned area. There were lights dotted around the grass and it looked bewitching. Something made Grace look back over her shoulder. She saw a balcony, was that the one from the honeymoon suite? Grace soon got her confirmation as the ghost of Lily appeared. She gave Grace a small wave and then vanished again.
Well, she wasn’t going to be easy to talk to.
Grace got in the van and drove back to the shop. She thought about Archie Goodwin. She needed to know a lot more about his life before she could investigate his murder further. Hopefully, he would have remembered a bit more by now.
Grace arrived at the shop. It was deserted. Nobody living, or dead, appeared as she called out various names.
She went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She realised that she hadn’t eaten all day. There was always a tin full of chocolate biscuits in the cupboards. For Frankie’s sake, not hers. She helped herself to a couple of biscuits.
Revived by her snack, she returned to the shop and called out names again. There was still no appearance of anyone.
Grace checked her watch, nearly 9 p.m. She should be going home. She sighed as she remembered the storage locker contents hadn’t been put on the shelves. She’d told Frankie she would that.
“I’ll make a start,” she mumbled to herself. She started with Archie’s clothes. “I’d better keep these safe somewhere.” She looked at the top layer of clothes again before she closed the lid. Something was really bothering her about Archie’s wedding clothes.
Grace closed her eyes and tried to let her thoughts settle down.
Her eyes sprang open.
That was it!
Chapter 9
For the next thirty minutes Grace called out Pearl and Archie’s names. Neither of them turned up.
Grace wondered where they’d gone. Where do ghosts go anyway? She knew that Archie was in Pearl’s care but then she had a sudden pang of concern for the poor man. Was Pearl leading him astray somewhere? Some ghostly pub down a back alley? She shook her head. Pearl could be brusque and speak her mind but Grace knew she’d take good care of Archie.
Grace decided to head for home.
When she returned to the shop the next morning she almost turned on her heel and walked straight out again.
“What time do you call this?” Frankie growled at her from the kitchen table. From the way he was nursing his coffee, and the paleness of his face, Grace suspected he was either poorly or hung-over. She suspected the latter.
Grace looked at her watch and declared loudly, “It’s 8 a.m. Isn’t it a lovely morning?”
“There’s no need to shout!” Frankie moaned. He rubbed his forehead and grimaced. “And it’s not a lovely morning. The world ended last night.”
Grace put her handbag on the table. “Did it? I didn’t notice. Do you want a fresh coffee? Have you had something to eat?” She paused as she caught Frankie’s expression. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Has something terrible happened?”
Frankie banged his fist on the table and immediately winced in pain. “We lost! Don’t tell me you don’t know?”
“I presume you’re talking about football? Did your side lose?”
Frankie stood up. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll have a bacon sandwich if you’re making one. I wish you’d show more sympathy when something terrible happens to me, Grace.”
Grace looked at him. He really did look sorry for himself. She remembered the times that Frankie and Dad watched football together on TV. They used to cheer and groan in unison. She suddenly realised how much Frankie was still missing Mum and Dad. She said, “I’ll make the bacon extra crispy, just the way you like it. Go have a lie down if you want.”
Frankie shook his head. “No, I’ve got some pricing up to do. It’s no good putting things on the shelves if you don’t price them, you’ve only done half a job.”
For a second Grace considered telling him she’d been too busy calling out for ghosts. That would clear his hangover. Instead she said, “I wasn’t sure what prices to put on, you’re better at that sort of thing.”
Frankie nodded. “That’s true. Don’t forget the ketchup on my sandwich.”
With that order he slouched out of the kitchen and towards the shop area. Grace waited for a minute and then quietly called out for Pearl and Archie.
She waited. Still no ghostly appearances. Where were they? Grace needed to talk to Archie urgently.
Grace made the bacon sandwiches and took them through to the shop. She listened as Frankie grumbled about the match. He mentioned players’ names and their moves. Grace had no idea what he was talking about, she had half her attention on looking out for ghosts. She noticed that she couldn’t hear any humming. Had she left Lily at the hotel?
Frankie soon had the new items priced up. When Grace opened the shop doors at nine o’clock she was pleased to see customers already waiting.
“Anything new?” an old man asked as he shuffled past Grace.
Grace pointed towards the new stock. The man’s eyes lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning. “By heck!” he exclaimed. “My mum used to have picture frames like those. I’ll take them!”
The old man wasn’t the only one that was pleased with the new stock. Grace and Frankie were rushed off their feet as more pensioners entered the shop. How did they know about the new stock? Was there some sort of old-age telepathy going on?
Grace chuckled to herself as she saw an old lady tapping away expertly on her phone. Of course, they were texting their friends.
Grace wished she could text Pearl.
As if by magic, at midday the pensioners began to leave the shop. An elderly man winked at Grace on the way out. “We’re off to bingo now. Thanks for the lovely items, you’ve got a good eye for buying stock. We’ll be back!”
The door closed behind him. Grace looked at Frankie, a smile on her face.
“There’s no need to look so smug,” Frankie said. “You got lucky with that locker.”
Grace gave him a push.
He held his hands up. “All right! You chose well.”
Grace reflected that it was the locker that chose her.
Frankie’s phone beeped. He read the message and nodded to himself. Then he turned to Grace and said, “There’s a replay of the match on the TV now. Do you mind if I go upstairs and watch it? It’ll only be an hour or two.”
“Why would you want to watch the replay?”
“So I can see again how much of an idiot that referee was. Bring me a another sandwich if you’re making one. Thanks.”
Frankie walked away tapping on his phone as he went. Grace marvelled at how some people could text and walk at the same time. She hadn’t quite mastered that yet.
Grace heard Frankie thud upstairs. She soon heard him yelling and swearing and presumed
the replay had started. There were no customers at all in the shop. It wouldn’t hurt to close up for ten minutes.
Grace locked the door. She stood in the middle of the shop and said, “Pearl! Archie! I know you must be here somewhere! Show yourselves! Please. I need to speak to Archie. There’s something I’ve noticed about your wedding suit.”
Grace smiled as a warm feeling travelled down her arm.
It was Pearl. She was wearing her floral housecoat again and all traces of lipstick had gone. The old ghost looked quickly left and right. She beckoned Grace closer and whispered, “I need to tell you something about Archie.”
“Talking about me?” Archie appeared at Grace’s side, a charming smile on his face.
Chapter 10
Grace felt heat rushing to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was because she’d forgotten how handsome Archie was or if it was because he’d clearly overheard Pearl mentioning his name.
Archie said, “Lovely to see you again, Grace. Pearl, was there something you wanted to talk to Grace about? I don’t mind if you want to tell her something about me. I can disappear for a while.”
Pearl sighed. “No, you may as well stay here and listen. It’s nothing bad, in fact, it’s just the opposite.”
“I don’t understand,” Archie replied.
Pearl gave him a direct look. Grace could see the fondness in her eyes. Pearl said, “Archie, you’re a wonderful man, a real charmer. I mean that in a good way. I’ve met many charming men before but they all had an ulterior motive. I won’t tell you what their motives were, not in front of Grace, she’s very naive.”
Grace put her finger up to object, but then thought better of it. She wasn’t that naive but she didn’t want Pearl to go into details about the men in her past.
Pearl continued, “Archie, you are a genuine and honest man. We talked a lot last night but I noticed that you kept turning the conversation back to me, as if I was the most important person there. You’re attentive and a good listener. You’re great company, I didn’t even realise we’d been away from Grace so long!”
Murder Vows (Storage Ghost Murders Book 4) Page 3
