The Death Planner (Storage Ghost Murders Book 6)

by Gillian Larkin

  Pearl took hold of Jenny’s arm and led her to the kitchen table. “Stop babbling. Sit down and tell us everything. Grace, you sit down too. You can have whatever’s in that cup and paper bag whilst Jenny talks.”

  Jenny and Grace did as they were told. Pearl sat between them but she kept glancing towards the far wall.

  Jenny said, “I told you that Elsa started working at a florist’s shop, didn’t I? Well, she started having an affair with a married man who was a customer. I never met him, all I know is that he was called Giles. I didn’t even know his second name. He went to the florist to buy flowers for his sick wife. I told you how gullible Elsa was. Apparently, he no longer loved his wife but he couldn’t leave her because she was too poorly. Elsa fell for his story and soon became involved with him. She was happy to have whatever bits of time he could throw her way.” Jenny shook her head. “The amount of times she phoned me in tears because he’d let her down …”

  Grace put down her coffee. “Do you think it could be Giles in the photo?”

  “I don’t know. I had a good talk with Elsa after Giles had let her down on her birthday and I told her she deserved better. She agreed and a day later she told me that she’d ended it with him. I believed her.”

  Grace said, “Was Elsa still involved with him at the time of your death?”

  “Absolutely not.” Jenny’s brow wrinkled. “That’s what Elsa told me anyway.”

  Pearl added, “She could have lied. People are stupid when they’re in love. This Giles fella could have been the one who murdered you. Did he know that you were leaving everything to Elsa in your will?”

  Jenny shrugged.

  Pearl carried on, “It’s possible that he did. If your Elsa is as gullible as you say, he could have convinced her to kill you for the money.”

  Jenny leapt to her feet. “Never! Elsa would never do that!”

  Grace shared a knowing look with Pearl. It wasn’t unknown for family members to murder each other.

  Grace said, “We need to get to the bottom of this. Are you ready to try another vision? We might go back to the wedding. Jenny?”

  Jenny wiped a tear away and nodded. Grace retrieved the headset from the cupboard and, after a quick peek in the shop to make sure Frankie and Beth were occupied, returned to the kitchen.

  Grace held the handset out. Jenny touched it and they were immediately taken back to Jenny’s university lodgings.

  The young Jenny was looking in the mirror, her new headset in place. Her friend spoke from the doorway. Grace was prepared, she turned to look at Jenny’s friend.

  A sudden pain shot through Grace’s stomach. She screamed and collapsed to the floor.

  Jenny’s friend spoke again sending fresh spasms of pain through Grace. Through clenched teeth, Grace pleaded, “Jenny! Make it stop!”

  Chapter 15

  Grace squeezed her eyes closed and curled into a ball. It was a few moments before she realised that someone was calling her name. She opened her eyes to see Pearl looking down at her.

  Pearl reached out her hands and moved them towards Grace’s stomach. A warmth flooded through Grace. It felt like someone had placed a hot-water bottle over her. The pain seeped from her stomach in seconds.

  Pearl studied her. “Grace, are you alright? Speak to me.”

  Grace tried to smile. She realised she was lying on the kitchen floor. She got to her feet. Her knees felt weak and she collapsed into the nearest chair. She turned to Pearl and said, “What just happened to me? I didn’t think I could get hurt in a vision.”

  Jenny started to cry. “It’s my fault! Something happened in my past and now it’s hurting you!”

  Pearl made a shushing noise towards Jenny. “Grace, tell me what it felt like. I saw you clutch your tummy just before you collapsed.”

  Grace winced at the memory of the pain. “It felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.”

  Pearl nodded and said firmly, “Betrayal, that’s what it is. I felt that many times when I used to help ghosts. Are you okay now? You gave me such a fright!”

  Grace nodded. “I was trying to look at Jenny’s friend when it happened. Does that mean that Jenny’s friend betrayed her?”

  Pearl and Grace looked at Jenny who was still crying. Grace heard a sigh of exasperation coming from Pearl. She didn’t blame her, she was starting to feel the same.

  Grace said, “Jenny, you have to stop crying. I can’t help you when you’re like this. You have to tell me who was in that university room with you. You have to remember.”

  Jenny sniffed and gave them a watery smile. “I know. I’m sorry. I never cried this much when I was alive. I remember who she is, and I remember what she did.” Jenny sat down. Sudden concern crossed her face. “Grace, if I talk about her, will you be in pain again?”

  Grace raised her eyebrows and looked at Pearl. The elderly ghost shook her head and explained, “Grace is fine now but she can’t go back into any visions with you. Tell us everything, no matter how painful.”

  Jenny began, “She’s called Letty. We were at high school together. We became best friends within minutes of meeting each other. You just have a connection with some people. Anyway, we went to the same university. Letty knew about my plans to become a professional party organiser. She didn’t know what she wanted to do and so she agreed to take the same course as me. We made plans about the company that we would set up together.

  “That day, the one in the vision, is when Letty gave me the headset as a present. I was overjoyed, as you could see. She left me a note with the present. It was a peculiar note and I thought it was a bit strange at the time. The note wished me luck. Letty had written that she was my number one supporter and I should never forgot that. She went on to say that she would be right at my side forever.”

  “She sounds like some sort of stalker,” Pearl pointed out.

  Jenny nodded. “I got a bit of a funny feeling when I read it, but then I put those feelings to one side as being innocent. Letty was my best friend, I knew she wanted the best for me.”

  Grace said, “Did Letty take all the same classes as you?”

  “She did. She wasn’t very good at them and I sometimes thought she could try harder. I mentioned that to her one day and she said what was the point? She said she would be riding on the coat-tails of my success and I was the one who needed to work hard.”

  “She sounds like a stalker and a controller,” Pearl noted. “You should have cut her out of your life.”

  Jenny hung her head. “I couldn’t. She was my best friend.” She looked up. “Towards the end of my course I started looking for jobs. One came up for a company in Manchester, the same company that I told you about earlier. I’d been doing research and I knew that they were one of the best. It would be a dream to work for them. I applied for the job.”

  Pearl interrupted, “Don’t tell me, did Letty apply for the job too?”

  Jenny nodded. “I felt terrible when I got an interview and Letty got a letter saying no, thank you. I was tempted not to go for the interview but Mum convinced me otherwise. I got the job. When I told Letty she said she was pleased for me but I could see a hardness in her eyes.

  “I moved to Manchester as soon as I left university. I stayed in touch with Letty but she became colder with me. I was too busy with my work to think about her much. But then I saw her at one of the events I was helping to organise. It was a christening and the guests had moved to a hotel after the church business was over. I saw Letty moving around the guests, giving out cards. She came over to me and informed me she had set up her own events business and she was drumming up clients.”

  “What a cheek!” Pearl said. “Trying to steal your clients like that! What did you say?”

  “I stupidly wished her luck. She then turned up at every event that I was involved in. She blatantly gave out her cards. My bosses soon realised what was going on and approached Letty. She told them that I’d said it was okay. And she added that I kept her up to date on the events we
had on our books. All lies of course. I was lucky not to be sacked.

  “It wasn’t long after one of the bigger weddings that I had to move back to Leeds.”

  Grace said, “Did Letty stay in Manchester?”

  Jenny’s eyes welled up. “No, she followed me. Things got even worse.”

  “How?” Grace asked.

  “How what?” Frankie said as he strolled into the kitchen. “Are you alright? Beth said she heard a funny noise earlier, it sounded like a scream. She told me to come and check on you.”

  Grace quickly made an excuse up. “I slipped off my chair. Just a moment, that was about ten minutes ago! I could have been lying here in excruciating pain!”

  Frankie grinned. “Well, you’re not, are you? What do you think about Beth? She’s amazing. She’s kind-hearted, she laughs at all my jokes and she …”

  “Yes, she’s great. Was there anything you wanted?” Grace was eager to get back to her conversation with Jenny. Both Jenny and Pearl were staring at Frankie in an impatient manner. It was a good job that Frankie couldn’t see them.

  Frankie said, “We have to go out now. Would it be alright if you came back into the shop? You can have a full day off tomorrow if you like. I wanted to take Beth out for a special meal.” He looked so hopeful that Grace couldn’t say no.

  She shot a quick apologetic glance towards Jenny, and ignored the muttered words that were coming from Pearl.

  “Please?” Frankie asked.

  Grace stood up. She didn’t have a choice. “Of course I’ll look after the shop.”

  Chapter 16

  Grace didn’t have time to think about Jenny as there was a sudden influx of customers. She was constantly busy until 4 p.m. when the shop became strangely quiet.

  Pearl appeared at Grace’s side and said, “Where did they all go?”

  Grace shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s something good on the telly. Or someone’s having a sale nearby.” She rested her hands on the counter and sighed. “I’m exhausted! How’s Jenny?”

  Pearl folded her arms. “She started crying again when you left. I had to be firm with her. I told her that she couldn’t keep breaking down like that or we’ll never get to the bottom of her murder!”

  “Did she tell you anything else about Letty?”

  Pearl made a clicking noise with her tongue. “She tried but the words wouldn’t come out. I’ve seen this before. I think you need to go and see Elsa again, see if she can give you some information about Letty. And you can find out more about that slimy married man who she’s carrying on with.”

  Grace checked the time on her watch. “Elsa won’t be closing her van up for another hour. And I don’t want to leave the shop in case there’s another rush of customers.” She turned to Pearl and gave her a bright smile. “Which means we have time to talk about those ghosts that are bothering you. Why won’t you let me help you with them?”

  Pearl sighed, her arms dropped to her side. “They’re not your problem, they’re mine. I will deal with them, and I will need help. But not your help.”

  Grace frowned. “Whose help? Who else can see ghosts? Frankie?”

  Pearl tutted. “I’d never ask Frankie to help me. No, there’s someone else who’s going to help. I’m not quite sure who it is but I’ve feeling that we’ve met before.”

  “Who? When?”

  Pearl said, “That’s all I know at the moment. Right! I’m off, I’ve got things to do. I’ll have another word with Jenny and then send her through to you, if she’s up to it. It’d be better if she went with you to see Elsa.” She winked at Grace and then vanished.

  Grace sighed to herself. Great. Now there was another mystery person to add to the mix. Grace thought about all the people that she’d helped recently. Who had been able to see ghosts? She couldn’t recall anyone. She sighed again. She’d just have to wait.

  She had two more customers over the next hour. She closed the shop at precisely 5 o’clock. She headed to the kitchen and made herself a quick cup of tea to fortify her strength.

  Jenny appeared at her side and gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry for earlier, for causing you pain. And I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to give you much help. And I’m sorry for crying all the time.”

  Grace took a seat and indicated for Jenny to do the same. “It’s okay. Jenny, it must be very difficult for you. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But we’ll get there. We will find out who killed you. Can you tell me any more about Letty?”

  Jenny looked away but not before Grace saw her eyes welling up. Jenny looked back at Grace and said sadly, “The memories won’t come to me. Have you ever had that? Maybe it’s a word, or the answer to a question on a quiz show. You know the information is there in your head but it just won’t come out.”

  Grace nodded. “I do know what you mean. I went to a pub quiz a few weeks ago with my brother. I was useless! The information was in my brain somewhere but, like you say, it just wouldn’t come out. I remembered it later of course. And I’m sure that you will too.”

  Jenny gave her a grateful smile. “Pearl said that you’re going to see Elsa and that I should go with you.”

  “Yes. Is that okay?”

  Jenny nodded. “What will you tell her about me?”

  “The truth. That I can see you.” Grace paused. “Jenny, a lot of people are murdered by someone they know. I want you to prepare yourself for whatever we find out, no matter how unpleasant.”

  “You think Elsa might have something to do with my murder, don’t you? She didn’t. I just know she didn’t.”

  “I hope we can prove that. We need to find out more about what happened on the night you died. Who was at the hotel? What were they doing at the time you died?”

  Jenny spread her hands out. “I wish I could tell you.”

  Grace quickly drank her tea and then collected her coat and handbag. “Let’s see what we can get out of Elsa.”

  Jenny stood up. “Can we buy some peppermint creams for her on the way? She loves those. I used to buy them for her all the time.”

  “Sure.”

  Thirty minutes later, Grace stood with a packet of peppermint creams outside Elsa’s door. Jenny was at her side moving from foot to foot.

  The door opened. Elsa looked at Grace without recognising her. “Yes?”

  “Hi. I bought flowers from you yesterday. I’m Grace Abrahams.”

  Elsa frowned. “Are the flowers alright? Did you want to buy some more? I can open my van, if you like.”

  “No, thank you. I work at an antiques shop in the town centre.” Grace realised she was losing Elsa’s interest. “The thing is, I can see ghosts. And at this moment, the ghost of your sister, Jenny, is standing at my side.”

  The door began to close.

  Grace shoved the packet of peppermint creams towards Elsa. “Jenny made me buy these for you. She told me about the time that you tried to make them at home once. She said it was a disaster and even your dad wouldn’t eat them.”

  There was a strained silence as Elsa stared at Grace. Finally, Elsa reached out for the peppermint creams and pulled them to her chest. “Are you telling me the truth? Is Jenny really standing next to you?”

  Grace nodded. “She wants to talk to you.”

  Fear flicked across Elsa’s face. “She’s mad at me, isn’t she? She’s mad at what I did on the night she died! I’m sorry, Jenny! I didn’t know what I was doing!”

  Chapter 17

  Elsa burst into tears, the peppermint creams dropped to the floor as her hands covered her face. Grace stepped through the door and put her arm around Elsa’s shaking shoulders. “Please don’t cry. Can we talk about what happened?”

  Elsa moved her hands away from her face and nodded. “I’d like to talk about it. I feel so guilty. Is Jenny still with you?”

  Grace said, “Yes. Can we go into your living room?”

  Elsa wiped her tears away and closed the front door. She picked the sweets up and took Grace into a s
mall room. Grace caught the delicate aroma from a nearby vase of flowers. Grace made a quick scan of the room. There was a floral theme running throughout the decorations and furnishings. Grace noted the photographs of Jenny and Elsa. There were other family photographs that appeared to be of Jenny and Elsa’s parents. They looked so happy. There were no photographs of the mystery man who had been at Elsa’s house the previous evening.

  Elsa insisted on making a hot drink for them both. Jenny floated around the room and pointed out different things to Grace. “This is a shell from Scarborough. I didn’t realise she’d kept that. And this is a menu from a party I organised for her teddy bears.”

  Grace nodded as Jenny continued. It was obvious that Elsa had loved her big sister very much. Was she really involved in her murder?

  Elsa returned with two full cups and a plate of biscuits. Grace wasn’t sure how to begin her conversation, she didn’t want to accuse Elsa of anything. She took a cup and sat down.

  Elsa started the conversation. “It must be cool to see ghosts! How long have you been seeing them? What do they look like? Are they scary?”

  Grace told Elsa a bit about her ability but then steered the conversation back to Jenny. It was going to be a difficult conversation, no matter how she looked at it.

  Just as Grace was about to ask about the last wedding, Jenny hissed, “Don’t tell her I was murdered! She won’t be able to deal with it! Please!” Grace closed her mouth and tried to fight down her feelings of annoyance. That was the reason she was here. She changed tactics. “Elsa, you said you were sorry about something, something that happened on the night that Jenny died.”

  Elsa lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Jenny. I tried to break it off with Giles. But he wouldn’t let me.” She looked back up. “He said he couldn’t live without me. He was at the hotel on the night you died. I’m sorry, Jenny, so sorry.”

  Grace said, “Can you explain yourself from the beginning? I came to see you last night and saw a man going into your house. Jenny told me about your affair with someone called Giles. Was it Giles who came to see you last night?”