Posy didn’t answer.
“What are you up to tonight?” I asked Posy, hoping my smile looked more convincing than it felt.
She shifted her eyes between us. “I’m meeting a friend.”
Adam brightened and took a step forward. “All right, well we’ll let you go then. See you back at the manor!”
We almost got away with it.
“What are you two still doing here? Relentless gossips … tsk tsk tsk.”
I cringed at Flapjack’s caustic tone. The fluffy ghost swept between Adam and me. Goosebumps rose on my arms at the sudden wave of chilled air as his tail swiped through my leg. “Scarlet’s too polite to tell you to get lost. Me? I don’t have that same hang up. So scram!”
“You were talking to Scarlet?” Posy asked, her face pinched. “About me? I knew it!”
“No!” Adam replied a tad too forcefully.
“Posy, it’s not what it looks like,” I rushed to add.
“Did you ever think that maybe there was a reason I didn’t ask to host the group at the manor? That maybe I was trying to keep one thing to myself!” She crossed her arms and if her polished loafer could have tapped impatiently on the sidewalk, I had no doubt it would be drumming a frantic beat. “I thought I saw you following me the other night,” she said to Adam.
Great. Adam wasn’t exactly a fly-under-the-radar kind of guy. Even less so when he’d shifted into his beast form and was enjoying the freedom of carousing as a massive stray dog.
Flapjack released another chuckle-slash-purr and slipped through the door of the shop. Meddling little fuzzball!
“Posy, we’re really sorry. But if you hear us out—”
Posy’s eyes narrowed and my words faltered. “I’m disappointed in you most of all, Holly. I expect this behavior from Adam. He’s a scoundrel but you—”
Adam growled. “Hey!”
“I never thought you would try to spy on me. I’m going to have a long talk about this with Scarlet!”
“She didn’t tell us anything—” I tried to insist.
Posy launched herself off the sidewalk like a missile and disappeared into the dark sky above.
I frowned as I considered the dark clouds, still dumping rain down on us. “Well that went well…”
“She’ll be fine,” Adam said with a flap of his hand. “You know how she gets.”
He had a point. Posy tended toward the dramatic, but still, I couldn’t help but feel guilty over the poor handling of the situation.
“What do you think Scarlet will tell her?” I asked, pausing to peer in the florist shop’s front window. There was no sign of Scarlet or either of her ghost sidekicks.
“Hopefully she’ll know how to bring up the whole ghost husband thing a little better than we would.”
“Considering our ‘tactful’ score is at an all-time low right now, I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet.”
“It’ll work itself out, gorgeous. Now, come on, let’s go get some dinner.”
In Adam’s world, a hot meal could solve a multitude of problems. He wasn’t necessarily wrong.
A shriek greeted us as we entered the manor. At the piercing sound, I lost my grip on the takeout bag in my hand and the food hit the wood planks of the entryway with a loud thump.
Then it was Adam’s turn to shout in horror.
He scrambled to rescue the bag of food as I started up the stairs toward the source of the noise. “Lacey?” I cried out.
My foot hit the fourth step and then I reeled back as the source of the commotion became all too clear: Lenny appeared in the middle of the stairs, wearing a wide grin.
“This night just keeps getting better and better,” Adam groaned. “What are you doing back here? I thought I made myself clear.”
Lacey bolted onto the landing, dripping wet, clutching the thick towel she’d wrapped tightly around her chest.
Lacey snarled at us. “This a friend of yours?” She tightened the knot on the towel and glared at Lenny. “He’s a pervert! He was watching me while I showered!”
I cringed.
“That’s it,” Adam growled as he backed up a step. “I don’t care what the ghost whisperer said, there’s only one way to get rid of this guy.” He swiped up the fire poker.
“Adam, no! Wait!” I waved my hands at him. “Lenny, tell us what you know about Earl!”
“Are you serious?” Lacey scoffed. “You’re not going to blast him?”
“Spells don’t work on ghosts,” I said.
“Well isn’t that just perfect.” Lacey glared at Lenny. “Who is this cretin?”
“We don’t really know,” Adam replied, still brandishing the poker.
“He knows Earl,” I added.
Lacey cocked her head. “Earl?”
“Posy’s late husband.”
Lacey’s eyes widened.
“Lenny, tell us where Earl is,” I demanded, flicking my glare back in his direction.
Lenny gave an infuriating shrug. “Why should I?”
“Did he send you here?”
“Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t.”
“I don’t care why he’s here. He needs to go! Now!” Lacey hissed. Her irises, normally a cold blue, shifted. Her pupils expanded until her eyes looked like pure black. “I’ll find a way to make you pay, ghost! You had better hope you don’t have any family members still walking this earth. I’m a little out of practice but I have no problem hunting them down and turning them. Then you’ll be stuck here in this plane, watching them turn into immortal monsters right before your eyes!”
Yikes. That was dark, even for Lacey.
Memo to self: never interrupt her while she’s in the shower.
Adam’s eyes went wide, as though he were seeing her for the first time. “Damn, Lacey.”
She seethed, her pitch-black stare zeroed in on Lenny, who, for his part, didn’t look remotely concerned. Then again, as we had no idea who he was, her threat was a little far-fetched.
“Lacey, go get a bottle of your perfume,” Adam instructed, flashing me a quick grin.
I rolled my eyes and fished my cell phone from my pocket. “I doubt that will work,” I told him.
“Are you kidding? Have you smelled that stuff? You have the luxury of your own bathroom. You forget that I have to use the same one as princess Lacey and get a full blast of that stuff whenever she finishes showering.”
“Got it!” Lacey returned wearing a black silk robe, holding up a bejeweled bottle. A good couple of inches of a deep purple liquid swirled through the crystal. “What now?” she asked Adam.
“Spray it at him,” he said, waving the poker in Lenny’s general direction. “The ghost hunter told us they don’t like unpleasant odors.”
Picking up on his meaning, Lacey shot Adam a scathing glare. “You’re saying my perfume stinks!”
Adam’s grin widened. “I’ve driven by paper plants that smelled better!”
“Argh!” Lacey launched herself over the banister and flew at Adam.
With a casual flick of my wrist, I sent up a protective shield and she smashed into it like a bug on a windshield. Adam laughed and I shot a glare at him. “You do realize that one of these days I’m just going to let her tear into you?”
“She can try.” Adam grinned. “I’ll relish the day!”
I scoffed, dropped the shield, and wandered a few yards away to dial Scarlet’s number, consulting the business card I’d swiped from the small stack beside her cash register.
Lacey shot to her feet and took a swing at Adam. He ducked with impressive speed and launched another attack. I knew Adam would never actually hurt her. As much as he despised her sometimes, it was more of sibling rivalry vibe between the two of them. Lacey wouldn’t truly hurt him either.
At least, I didn’t think she would.
“Lily Pond Floral Design,” Scarlet’s pleasant voice cut through the swirling chaos in the room.
I sent a stunning spell at Lacey and Adam as they tussled together. The sting of
the spell broke them apart and they backed away, going to their individual corners, still snarling at one another. Lenny stared at them, not bothering to conceal the disgust on his face.
“Hello, Scarlet? This is Holly. Listen, I was wondering if you could come over to the manor. The ghost we told you about is here and we could use a hand.”
“Sure. I’ll be right over.” She didn’t sound surprised by the request.
“Thanks.” I clicked off the call and stuffed my phone back into my purse. “You two done?” I asked, shooting a look at Adam and then Lacey.
I didn’t bother waiting for their responses before rounding on Lenny. He remained hovering over the staircase. I fisted my hands and slammed them onto my hips. “As for you, what is your problem? Why are you here again?”
Lenny sighed loudly, as though he were the one being inconvenienced. “As I expected, Earl wasn’t too happy when I told him what kind of riffraff was living in his beloved manor.”
“You saw him? Just now?” I asked, scraping my jaw off the floor. Not only was Earl a ghost, he apparently lived nearby.
After that admission, Lenny clammed up. Luckily, Scarlet didn’t take long to arrive and immediately took over the situation. Her soft-spoken manner smoothed the ruffled feathers. “What would it take for you to share what you know?” Scarlet asked, her voice calm and sweet.
She had heaps of self-control.
“For starters, I’d like an apology from the beastly blonde,” Lenny said.
Scarlet looked to me, the question evident in her eyes.
“Before you got here he was peeping on one of our other roommates while she showered. She made some threats. And before you ask, the odds of getting an apology from her are about as good as snow in the Sahara.”
“Lenny,” Scarlet said, her tone even more buttercream fluffy than before. “Posy is a dear friend of mine and I know she would be so grateful if you could tell us more about Earl.”
Lenny’s eyes sparked. “Posy is alive?”
“Well, no, but she’s a spirit, like you.” Scarlet craned around and Adam, Lacey, and I all nodded.
Lenny surged upward. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, guilt twisting up my stomach. “She’ll come back soon. I’m sure.”
Lenny sank back down, his shiny shoes back on the wooden steps. “Earl will be so happy to know she’s here.”
“Can you bring him here? To see her?” Scarlet asked.
Adam and I exchanged a cringe behind her back.
Lenny shook his head. “He’s been trapped for the better part of the last century.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Trapped how?” Adam added.
Lenny’s hooded eyes moved slowly between Adam and I before he crossed his arms. “I want to see Posy. I’ll only talk to her.”
Scarlet looked at me. “I guess we’ll just have to wait.”
I sighed. “I guess so.”
When Posy still wasn’t back the following morning, Adam and I ventured into town to find her. A few hours later, after suffering through a long, rambling exchange with Gwen, Posy’s sometimes friend and fellow ghost, we found out where she’d gone. According to Gwen, she’d returned to the place of her own death.
Scarlet came back to the manor around eleven and we all set off together.
“Here goes nothing,” Adam said as we stood near the edge of the tree line at the back of the manor’s property.
“How inspiring,” I huffed and gave his shoulder a tiny shove.
The Beechwood Manor stood on a bluff overlooking the harbor that lent the town its namesake. Behind the manor was an expansive wooded area that eventually tapered off at the edge of a rock-faced cliff—the very cliff that Posy had thrown herself from nearly a hundred years before. I’d personally only visited the site once and the eerie feeling that came with knowing it was the site of Posy’s suicide was enough to keep me from returning.
“It’s not uncommon for ghosts to return to the place they were last physically alive,” Scarlet explained as we trekked through the trees. “It often brings a sense of connection to the world. Being a ghost can lead to an overwhelming sense of loneliness.”
“See, that’s the part I don’t understand,” I interjected. “I’ve met several ghosts. I mean, even just here in Beechwood Harbor three—now four—have crossed my path. None of them have been lonely. They’ve all known other ghosts.”
“And you said there are some new ghosts in town that are already part of your support group,” Adam pointed out, stepping over a fallen log. He was so familiar with the woods that he practically walked on autopilot, rarely even glancing down at the path in front of him.
Scarlet turned back and nodded. “Yes, but ghosts aren’t always welcomed. You have a relationship with Posy, so that’s probably why it doesn’t seem all that odd to you, but if Posy didn’t have you all living under her roof, do you think she’d have much of an afterlife?”
I’d never really given it much thought, but when presented with the question, the truth painted a grim picture. Even in the year plus since I’d moved into the manor, Posy had undergone a gradual transformation. Gwen dragged her out to haunt the town and was the only reason Posy had even met Scarlet. Even the previous afternoon, just being out and about town in the middle of the day was a huge step forward for Posy.
Scarlet didn’t wait for an answer as she plowed ahead on the winding trail that cut through the woods. “From what I’ve gathered, my best guess is that without all of you, she’d have caved in on herself a long time ago. The manor itself would likely not be standing.”
“She would have destroyed it?” Adam asked.
“It’s entirely possible. I’ve seen it before. Ghosts can become so entrenched with a place—or even a person—that they end up destroying it. Years of repressed emotions can lead to disastrous results.”
Adam shot me a knowing glance. We’d both seen the damage Posy was capable of doing. I couldn’t imagine what she’d be able to do if she were to come completely undone.
“Often times, ghosts can’t find their place among the living or the dead. They get stuck. It’s sometimes easier to retreat into themselves,” Scarlet continued. “Ghosts like your friend Gwen and my two … sidekicks … are the exception, not the rule. Most ghosts are lost and spend years, decades even, searching for answers and trying to figure out why they weren’t able to move seamlessly from this world to the next.”
“Why do you think they get stuck?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “It’s different for each ghost. It’s far from textbook.”
Her statement reminded me of Katerina, the ghost I’d rescued from the beach several months earlier. She’d been so new that she hadn’t even realized that she was a ghost. I’d often worried about what would have become of her, had I not stumbled upon her when she was frantically trying to get the attention of the other, still living, beach goers that day.
Up ahead, the trees started to thin out. More and more of the early afternoon sky peeked through; it was shaping up to be a pretty nice spring afternoon. The sound of the ocean roared in my ears as we neared the cliff. Some fifty or sixty feet below, the waves crashed against the rocks, sending up a spray of mist. Gulls circled the harbor and disappeared into the nests they’d created among the rocks.
Squinting against the sun, the three of us strode out of the trees, and there, standing with her back toward us, was Posy.
Scarlet stepped on a stick and the cracking sound was enough to get Posy’s attention. She turned around, and even though she was nearly translucent under the sun’s rays, we could see a heartbreaking mix of conflicting emotions playing out on her face.
“Hello, Posy,” Scarlet called out gently.
CHAPTER FOUR
“What are you all doing here?” Posy’s eyes darted between us, clearly disturbed to find the three of us together.
Adam started to speak but Scarlet raised a delicate hand. “Adam and Holly came to me yest
erday afternoon.”
“I knew it!” Posy spat, glaring at the pair of us.
“Posy, please, hear us out.” Scarlet moved closer to the edge of the cliff. Her steps were slow and deliberate. “There’s a new ghost in town and he’s causing some trouble. Adam and Holly wanted my advice on how best to handle the situation.”
Posy’s panicked eyes flicked toward me. I gave a slight nod. “I was working in the greenhouse and a ghost named Lenny interrupted me.”
“Lenny?” She shook her head. “I don’t know anyone named Lenny.”
“Apparently he knows you,” Adam groused.
Scarlet ignored Adam’s comment. “He mentioned Earl.”
Posy’s eyes went wide. “Earl? My … my Earl?”
“He said that his father helped build the manor,” I told her, following Scarlet’s example and keeping my voice low and calm.
We were far enough away from the manor that I doubted she could cause any damage to the house itself, but on second thought, if I’d learned anything in the last twenty-four hours, it was that my knowledge of the spirit world was lacking at best.
“What … what did he say his full name is?”
“Um, Lenny…” I paused, trying to concentrate on the initial meeting. “Lenny Knowles.”
Posy made a sputtering noise and covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes filled with tears that glistened under the harsh light. “Roger. His father was Roger. He and Earl were good friends. And yes … yes, now I remember. He had a son, he was … well, he must have been fifteen at the time.”
Posy lifted up higher and higher off the ground, and her face broke into a wide smile.
“Would you like to see him?” Scarlet asked her.
“Very much so, dear.” She glanced around. “Where is he?”
“He’ll be at the manor in a few hours,” I said.
“There’s one other thing you need to know,” Scarlet cautioned.
Posy floated back to the ground, her silvery shoes grazing the large rock she was hovering above. “What is it?”
I drew in a breath. “Posy, from what he said, Earl is in fact a ghost.”
Along Came a Ghost: A Beechwood Harbor Novella (Beechwood Habor Magic Mysteries Book 5) Page 3
