Tick Tock (Storage Ghosts)

by Gillian Larkin

  Grace shot a look at Frankie and Big Bob. Frankie had a soppy look on his face as he gazed at Sylvester. When was he going to get over his infatuation?

  Big Bob spoke, “Thanks for your concern, Sylvester, it’s a family matter, it’s sorted out. That piece of lowlife won’t be going anywhere near Grace again.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I haven’t known Frankie and Grace long but I feel like we’re good friends, almost family ourselves!” Sylvester gave them a warm smile.

  Grace flicked a glance at Frankie. Was he actually drooling? He was so embarrassing.

  Sylvester pulled out a chair and said, “I insist that you rest. You must be shaken up. Let me make you a cup of coffee. I think I’ve got some cookies stashed away some where.”

  “Thank you, but I need to help unpack our locker,” Grace said.

  Frankie said, rather too loudly, “Nonsense, you stay here. I’ll do all the packing. After the shock you’ve had you need to recover your strength, don’t you think so, Sylvester?”

  Sylvester looked at Frankie in admiration. “I totally agree, that’s very thoughtful. Let’s get the paperwork sorted then I’ll look after Grace while you pack.”

  Frankie smiled back. Then he shot Grace a quick look as if to warn her not to get too friendly with his friend. He used to give her that look when he got any new toys. Grace held her laughter in and gratefully took the offered seat.

  She spent the next thirty minutes drinking coffee, eating cookies and listening to the riveting tales that Sylvester told her. She had no idea that the storage auction business could be full of such danger, or scandal. For the second time that day she felt her troubles fade away.

  All too soon they were saying goodbye to the silver haired auctioneer. They drove the one hundred miles back to their shop.

  There was a nasty surprise waiting for them.

  Frankie leapt out of the cabin before the truck had fully stopped. He ran over to the shop and slammed his hand against the boards that had been placed across the shop’s windows.

  “I don’t believe it! How could he do this!” Frankie exploded.

  Grace joined him on the pavement. “This is Eddie’s work. He’s actually left his name on the boards. Frankie, what are we going to do? He’s taken our shop. I can’t even see where the door is.”

  “Move out of the way,” Big Bob called out from behind them. He came forward with a crowbar and started pulling off the boards as if they were made of marshmallow.

  He ripped them all off and flung them to the ground in disgust. “He’s a ... well, I won’t say what he is in front of you, Grace. Let’s get the truck unpacked then I can go and see the slimy rat and get this ridiculous loan paid off.”

  Frankie unlocked the shop door. Grace remembered something. “Eddie’s got a key to the shop, he mentioned that he’d let himself in the other day.”

  “No problem,” Big Bob said. Grace could tell he was trying to control his anger as he took his phone out and tapped a number in.

  An hour later the truck had been unpacked and the items placed in the shop. The locks to all the doors had been changed, extra locks placed on them and the windows.

  Grace could almost see the steam coming out of Big Bob’s ears. He looked furious.

  He nodded to them both and said, “I’m off to see Eddie now, I know where his type hangs out. I’ll call you later. Lock the doors behind me.”

  “I’m going with you,” Frankie said.

  “No, you stay with your sister.”

  Grace was worried about Big Bob, he looked like he could kill. She said, “I’m fine here with all these new locks. Frankie, you go.”

  Big Bob took some persuading but he eventually gave in.

  The two men left, Grace secured the doors. Then she turned to the two ghosts who had been watching their antics with interest.

  Lynne Opendale shook her head and said, “Well, Grace, this is a right carry on!”

  Chapter 8

  Lynne gave Grace a gentle smile and said, “You’ve grown into a lovely young woman, hasn’t she, Tom?”

  Tom Opendale looked up from his work table and nodded towards Grace. “She has.” He returned his attention to his work.

  “It’s good to see you again, even if you are ...” Grace faltered.

  “Even if we are dead!” Lynne said with a laugh. “We don’t mind being dead as long as we’re together, do we, Tom?”

  Tom nodded without taking his eyes away from his desk. Grace looked a bit closer, he seemed to be working on the insides of a watch.

  She remembered that her mum always referred to the Opendales as ‘the bird couple’. She said that Lynne was like a colourful parrot, always chattering away, whilst Tom was like a quiet, wise owl. Both very different but strangely suited.

  Lynne stepped closer to Grace, her multi coloured blouse making her face seem even paler. “How are you coping, Grace? We heard about your parents. So, so sad. How is Frankie doing? I remember when you used to visit our shop. You were fascinated with that tiger clock! Your dad bought your first watch from us, do you remember?”

  Grace smiled. “It had a pink unicorn on it, I’ve still got it. Can I ask you something?”

  “Fire away! Whether I can answer it or not is another matter.”

  “How long have you been dead? Mum and Dad died recently. I haven’t seen you two for years, your shop was suddenly empty, no one knew what had happened to you.”

  Tom looked at his wife and gave a slight shake of his head. Lynne frowned, “I have to tell her, Tom, she has to know.”

  Tom pursed his lips and once again gave his attention to the watch in front of him.

  Lynne said, “We died about 5 years ago. Our shop was sold quickly. Our daughter, Clare, I don’t know if you remember her, dealt with our affairs. There was a notice in the paper about our deaths. I don’t know if your mum and dad saw it.”

  “They never said anything if they did,” Grace said. “If you died 5 years ago then how do you know about Mum and Dad? Have you seen them? Is there some sort of place where dead people go? If you saw them, what did they say?”

  Lynne put a hand on Grace’s arm, Grace felt a coldness shoot through her body. Lynne said, “Don’t get yourself in a state, Grace love, we haven’t seen your mum and dad, we just know that they’ve passed on.”

  “Oh,” Grace said. She sat down on a wooden chair. A sudden feeling of hope about her parents had just as suddenly disappeared.

  Lynne sat next to her. Grace could smell a faint aroma of the rose perfume that Lynne used to wear.

  Lynne said, “There’s something you need to know. Tom and I have appeared to you for a reason.”

  Grace nodded. She’d helped other ghosts that had shown themselves to her.

  “We can’t quite remember how we died. We need you to find out.”

  Grace frowned. “But how will that help you?”

  Lynne shook her head and gave Grace a sad smile. “We aren’t here to ask for your help, we’re here to help you.”

  “Help me? Why do I need help?”

  Lynne looked over at Tom. “Tom, you explain, I can’t bear to say the words.”

  Tom put the watch down and slowly stood up. He pulled his cardigan tighter around his thin frame. He walked over to Grace, his eyes shone kindly through his spectacles. He said, “We were murdered, Grace. And the same person that murdered us, murdered your parents.”

  Chapter 9

  “No!” Grace jumped up. “No! That can’t be true. Who would murder Mum and Dad? Everyone loved them.”

  Tom waited for her to calm down. “Think about it, Grace. You must have had your suspicions. We heard that your parents died in a car accident, and that your dad was driving whilst under the influence of drink. He never struck me as a drinker and I’d known him for years.”

  Grace sat back down. She couldn’t ignore the feeling in her stomach. Dad hadn’t been a drinker. He would never have put her and Mum’s life in danger by driving after a drink. But murde
r? That sounded so far fetched. Who would murder him?

  Grace voiced her thoughts to Lynne and Tom.

  Lynne said, “The night of our deaths isn’t clear, it’s as if we’re blocking it out. But I know it’s somehow linked to your parents’ deaths.”

  “What can I do? How can I find out more information?” Grace asked.

  Tom looked at Lynne and nodded. Lynne said, “You’ll have to go and see Clare, our daughter. She’ll tell you everything.”

  Grace said, “I think I remember Clare. She’s s bit older than me, she had this amazing job in marketing. She always looked so glamorous.”

  Lynne burst into tears. Tom put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and said, “It’s okay, Lynne, Grace might be able to help Clare. Come on now, stop crying.”

  A feeling of dread settled on Grace. “What’s happened to Clare? Is she alive?”

  Tom gave a sad shake of his head. “Only just. When you see her, you’ll understand. Will you go and see her, Grace?”

  “Of course.” What else could she say? “Can you come with me? When I’ve spoken to ghosts before they were able to travel with me, they attached themselves to their belongings so that they could move with me.”

  Lynne burst into fresh tears. Tom said, “No. I can’t put Lynne through any more pain. Clare isn’t the same person that you remember. But please listen to her, she isn’t mad.”

  “Okay.” Grace was beginning to have misgivings. “Where does she live?”

  Tom recited Clare’s address and telephone number.

  “Will she want to see me?” Grace asked.

  “Once you tell her what it is about, she will,” Tom said. “You’ll understand everything when you see her.”

  Tom led his wife back to the comfy armchair and settled her down. He returned to his table and resumed his work. Lynne looked over at him, her fond smile returned as she watched him work.

  Grace could see that she wasn’t going to get any further information from the couple.

  Where was Frankie? And Big Bob? Shouldn’t they have been in touch with her by now?

  Grace tried Frankie’s phone, it went straight to voice mail. So did Bob’s.

  Had they spoken to Eddie Tominski? Had the debt been paid off? Grace couldn’t bear this waiting.

  She needed to phone Clare too but she didn’t want to do it in front of Lynne and Tom. As if reading her thoughts Tom said, “Time for you to go now, Grace. You can phone Clare when you get home. Let us know how you get on, we’ll be here for a while.”

  Lynne looked over at Grace. “I like it here, this is a lovely shop.”

  “It is,” Grace said. She hoped they could keep it.

  She said goodbye to Tom and Lynne and locked the door behind her. Out of habit she checked up and down the street. No one was watching her. Well, if they were they were good at it.

  Grace caught the bus home. She left over ten messages for Frankie to call her the minute he was able to.

  Her mouth felt dry and her tummy was making all sorts of strange noises. Something was worrying her, she just didn’t know what.

  She had a feeling that she was going to find out soon.

  Chapter 10

  The first thing Grace thought when she stepped into Clare’s home was, ‘She’s a mad crazy stalker’.

  Grace looked over her shoulder but Clare had already closed and bolted the door behind them. The Clare that Grace remembered didn’t bare any resemblance to this unkempt woman in front of her.

  Clare was only a few years older than Grace but now looked about twenty years older. Her once shiny hair hung in dirty curtains around an angry looking face. There wasn’t a scrap of make up on Clare’s face. Grace tried not to inhale too deeply, it was obvious that personal hygiene was not a priority with Clare.

  Clare peered at Grace as if scrutinising her. “Did anyone see you? Were you followed?” she barked.

  “I don’t think so,” Grace began. “Thanks for seeing me.”

  “I knew someone would be in touch, someone like you. It’s happened to you too, hasn’t it? I recognise your face. Follow me,” Clare instructed.

  Grace looked at the walls as she followed Clare down a narrow hallway. Scraps of newspaper clippings were stuck everywhere. There were various pen markings and circles on the newspaper entries. The whole scene reminded Grace of thrillers that she’d seen on the TV. The part when the police suspected someone and broke into their homes. The police were often met with a scene like this, and they knew instantly that they had the right person.

  What had Grace got herself into? She gingerly made her way forward, remembering her vow to help Tom and Lynne.

  Did they know that Clare was like this now? Is that why Lynne didn’t want to see her daughter?

  If Grace thought the hall way was bad she soon changed her mind when she saw the living room. There were no visible signs of any wallpaper or painted areas. Every spare part of the living room walls had been covered with newspaper clippings. Grace stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar headline. She’d seen it many times. It was about her parents’ death. The newspaper reported that David Abrahams had killed himself and his wife, their daughter had narrowly escaped death. The newspaper further reported that David had drunk heavily before driving.

  Clare noticed where she was looking. She said, “It’s all lies, all of it. No truth in any of these disgusting articles.”

  “My dad wasn’t drunk, I know the medical reports said otherwise but he just wouldn’t have had that much to drink before driving,” Grace said.

  “I believe you,” Clare said.

  Grace looked at Clare, expecting to see the sympathetic look that people gave her whenever she said that about her dad. Clare didn’t have that look, she really did look as if she believed Grace.

  Clare said, “The same thing happened to my mum and dad. They died and the medical reports showed the same findings. I thought it was the doctors at first, I thought they were being paid off to submit false records. I thought he’d paid them off. It happens, I know it happens.”

  Even though Clare was rambling, Grace believed what she was saying.

  Clare waved her arm around the room. “It’s not just us, it’s happened to many people. Oh! He’s good, he’s very good. He covers his tracks, he pays people off and then ... then he gets away with murder!”

  “Who does? Who are you talking about?” Grace asked.

  Clare gave her a direct look and said, “Eddie Tominski, of course.”

  Grace’s legs gave way and she collapsed into a grubby looking chair. Clare let out a bitter laugh and said, “You know Eddie, of course you do. He’s probably been to see you. I know he’ll have threatened you. What is it he wants from you? Apart from money. Do you have a business? A shop? My mum and dad had a shop.”

  Grace put her hand to her forehead, she could feel a headache starting. She said, “Eddie is trying to take our shop away, it belongs to me and my brother.”

  Clare nodded vigorously. “A shop, yes, of course. And your parents owed him money, didn’t they? And they died before the debt could be paid off? Yes, that’s how he works. Then he starts to hound you for money. Puts the loan up, gives you some nonsense about interest? Yes, yes, that’s what he does.”

  Grace held her hand up. “Please slow down, I can’t keep up. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  Clare frowned at Grace’s lack of understanding. “I can’t make it any clearer. Eddie Tominski killed my mum and dad, and he killed yours.” Once again, Clare waved her arm around the walls. “And he’s killed many more! We’ve got to stop him!”

  Grace still didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand. “If you think that why don’t you tell the police?”

  “The police!” Clare exploded. “I tried, many times. They never listen. They’re all in his pockets. He’s paid them all off.”

  Grace’s head began to pound. “Are you saying that Eddie lent money to our parents, and when they couldn’t pay him back he
murdered them and took their businesses?”

  “No! You’re not listening! He planned to take the businesses first. He picked people who would never be able to pay him back. People he could trick. It’s all here, all the reports of people who have died.”

  Grace said, “I’m sorry, Clare, but you’ll have to start from the beginning.”

  “Do you believe me? I don’t want to waste my time if you’re going to dismiss me like everyone else.”

  Grace looked her straight in the eye and said, “I do believe you, and I want to help you.”

  Chapter 11

  Grace took all the information in and tried to make sense of it on the bus ride back to the shop. In between trying to make sense of Clare’s ramblings, Grace kept trying Frankie’s phone. It was still going to answer phone. Grace’s unease grew.

  Inside the shop Tom peered at her and said, “Let me get this straight. Eddie Tominski targets business owners who are in financial trouble. He then lends them money but soon increases the interest rates so that they find it hard to pay him back.”

  Grace nodded. “That must have been what happened to you, can you remember anything about it?”

  “I do remember owing him money, and that the interest rates went sky high. But I really don’t believe the part about him killing people to get their businesses. Why doesn’t he take the businesses as part of the loan?”

  An image of Eddie’s evil face came to Grace. She said, “Perhaps he likes killing people.”

  Lynne shivered and moved closer to Tom. “I never liked that man. I rue the day that we ever got involved with him.”

  Tom didn’t look convinced. “But how does he kill people? I’m still fuzzy about how we died. Did you ask Clare about it?”

  “I did. She told me that you’d fallen down the cellar steps of your home. Both of you.”

  Lynne folded her arms. “I told you, Tom, we needed a handrail on those steps, but you never listened.”

  Grace carefully said, “Apparently, you were both drunk at the time.”