The Ghost of Christmas (A Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery #4)

by K. J. Emrick

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  About the Author

  COPYRIGHT

  First published in Australia by South Coast Publishing, December 2013.

  Copyright K.J. Emrick (2013)

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification

  with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

  - From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  No responsibility or liability is assumed by the Publisher for any injury, damage or financial loss sustained to persons or property from the use of this information, personal or otherwise, either directly or indirectly. While every effort has been made to ensure reliability and accuracy of the information within, all liability, negligence or otherwise, from any use, misuse or abuse of the operation of any methods, strategies, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein, is the sole responsibility of the reader. Any copyrights not held by publisher are owned by their respective authors.

  All information is generalized, presented for informational purposes only and presented "as is" without warranty or guarantee of any kind.

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  Chapter One

  Darcy Sweet shivered as the cool air in the room penetrated the thick blankets that covered her bed. She snuggled up closer to her cop boyfriend, Jon Tinker, snoring softly beside her. She was wide awake watching the shadows flitting across her bedroom wall as the moonlight played between clouds. Jon mumbled in his sleep as he threw his arm around her pulling her even closer to him. Darcy grinned. She loved the feel of his body against hers.

  She couldn’t blame him, it was freezing in her room. She wriggled her feet and could feel Smudge, her black and white cat, lying at the bottom of the bed. After a few months of her and Jon being together, the big tomcat was starting to like Jon more. Enough to be in the same room as him anyway.

  She sighed, not sure what was causing her sleeplessness. Perhaps it was the fact that Jon had brought up the subject of them living together again. Not just spending their nights together, but actually living together. He’d been quiet about it for several weeks but he had slipped it into the conversation once again last night at dinner. Darcy wasn’t sure why she couldn’t just say yes. They spent most of their free time together these days anyway. It seemed the logical thing to do. But still she couldn’t give him that commitment.

  Outside her window, the clouds gathered. The moon all but disappeared and there was a different feel to the air. Instinctively, she knew what it meant.

  She reached over and shook Jon. He stirred and mumbled something that sounded like, “Leave me alone.” She couldn’t be sure. She shook him again, more forcefully.

  He snapped awake and sat up quickly, looking all around. “What? What is it?” he demanded in a sleepy voice.

  She smirked and dragged him back down with her, wrapping her arms around him. Jon rubbed a hand over his face and checked the time. He groaned and turned to look at her. “What is it?”

  She realized she must have alarmed him. Who could blame him, she thought, after the last few months full of murder and mystery. “Everything is fine.” She put a hand on his arm. “In fact, something wonderful is about to happen. We have to get out of bed right now though, or we’ll miss it.” She jumped up and dragged on her winter coat and boots. “Come on, get all bundled up so we can go.”

  Jon hadn’t moved. He sat there shaking his head and staring at her like she was mad. “Go? Go where? It’s the middle of the night for goodness sake.”

  Darcy just smiled at him. “Come on. You’ll like it, I promise.”

  He shook his head again but reluctantly got out of bed. “Why do I need to bundle up, exactly?” He shivered, his naked chest exposed to the air in the room. “It’s chilly enough in here as it is.”

  “We’re just going to the front yard. Now come on.” She raced out of the room ahead of him, her pajamas thin comfort against the cold air until she pulled on her heavy red winter jacket.

  A few minutes later they were standing in her front yard. “Yup, I was right,” Jon mumbled behind her as he rubbed his hands together. “Colder out here. You’re a goofball. You know that, right?”

  Darcy just smiled at him. Jon grumbled but didn’t turn to go back in. That was true love right there, she said to herself.

  “So what are we…?” Jon trailed off when the first flakes of snow fell to the ground.

  Darcy was grinning like a fool. “Oh, I love this time of year don’t you?” Winter was her favorite season. She was so happy that it was snowing. Only a few more days until Christmas and the whole town of Misty Hollow had been talking about how it was going to be a green Christmas this year. Now there was a chance there would be thick, fluffy layers of snow after all.

  “Yeah, well it is kind of pretty I guess,” Jon said with a little frown. “But it’s still damn cold. Can we please go back inside to the nice warm bed?”

  Darcy’s smile widened even more. She leaned up to kiss him. “Thank you,” she whispered. This was going to be the best Christmas ever now that she had him.

  ***

  Darcy took a sip of her coffee as she slid a sideways glance at Jon. He was thoughtfully chewing his toast and she could almost hear the wheels in his brain working.

  She slowly placed her cup down on the table in front of her and took in a breath, knowing something was wrong but not understanding what. She was about to ask him when he suddenly sat forward and looked directly at her. “How did you know it was going to snow last night? Did it have anything to do with…you know?” He wiggled his fingers in front of his face as he said it and she knew he was referring to her psychic abilities.

  Darcy laughed and shook her head. “No, silly. There’s no paranormal weather vane. Well. Not that I know of. I could just feel it in the air.”

  Jon looked relieved as he sat back in his chair. Darcy’s smile turned into a frown. All the time they had spent together, all the things he had seen her do, and still he was uncomfortable with her abilities. It made her a little sad.

  “Do you wish that I didn’t have them?” she asked suddenly. She realized it wasn’t all that suddenly. The question had been nagging her at the edge of her mind for a while, she just hadn’t had the nerve to ask. She held her breath waiting for his answer.

  “Well…honestly, yes, I do.” He couldn’t quite look her in the eyes anymore. Darcy felt hurt by his admission, even though she had kind of been expecting it. He had never actually come out and admitted it before though. He had always covered it up with a quick comment on how he loved every part of her or whatever.

>   She let the matter drop. Was he having doubts about their relationship? If he was, did she really want to know?

  They finished up their breakfast in silence. Darcy sensed that something had shifted a little between them and it made her very uncomfortable. She quickly packed her dishes into the sink to do later and ran upstairs to finish getting ready for work.

  When she came back downstairs Jon was waiting in the entryway for her. He gave her a long look but didn’t say anything.

  As he opened the door for them to leave Darcy paused before going through. “Um…” Jon eyed her warily. She sighed and said, “I just wanted to remind you that the Christmas Pageant is coming up and I volunteered us both to help with the costumes and the sets.”

  He looked at her for a moment like he had been expecting her to say something else. Then he shrugged and said, “Sure.”

  ***

  The five minute drive into town had been a silent one and Darcy was very tense by the time Jon parked in front of the police station. She quickly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before jumping out of the car. If he had anything more to say, she didn’t want to hear it.

  She was already on the sidewalk and on her way to her bookstore when Jon yelled out behind her, “I’ll see you for dinner later, okay?”

  She stopped walking and turned to face him. Relief washed through her. What had she been worried about? She and Jon were perfect together. She smiled and waved to him and turned away again with a heavy weight lifted off her heart.

  As Darcy walked slowly through the town she marvelled at how beautiful everything looked. There were holiday lights strung from all of the buildings and a dusting of snow had clung to the ground. It certainly was beginning to feel like Christmas. She loved this time of year. This would be the first Christmas she would get to spend together with Jon, which made it even more special.

  Should she be worried about them, she wondered? She had thought he was becoming more accepting of her abilities. It sure had seemed that way when she had used her abilities to solve the mysteries that they had become involved in while getting to know each other these last few months. She had thought that he was even beginning to appreciate how her connection to the other side could help. She shrugged. Obviously she was reading too much into it. Jon loved her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t keep nagging to move in with her, right?

  She flushed a little at the thought of him living under her roof. Waking up with him every morning, laying down with him each night, knowing that every part of her life was shared with someone else. She hadn’t done that since her late ex-husband, Jeff. Maybe it was time to let it happen again.

  As Darcy walked further into the center of town she could see that a large stage was being constructed for the Christmas Pageant in the town square. It was very near to the Bean There Bakery and Café, which belonged to her friend Helen Nelson, who also happened to be the Mayor of their little town.

  The Christmas Pageant was a really big deal in Misty Hollow each year. It featured the church choir singing carols, a huge nativity scene, and Santa handing out gifts to the children. There was a lot that went into making it all happen.

  Darcy decided that she could do with another cup of coffee and as she headed for the café she passed by Mrs. Sparks hanging a wreath on her front door. Darcy had the sudden thought that she had no clue what the older woman’s first name was. Mrs. Sparks had lived in Misty Hollow for years, in one of the few original old century period houses in the center of town. She was kind of in a hurry to get her coffee and then open up the bookstore or she would have stopped and chatted, maybe asked her name and how she had come to live here. Another time, maybe.

  Darcy entered the Bean There Bakery and Café and was happy to see Helen working behind the counter. It was rare to see her in the shop these days. Being the town’s mayor took up so much of her time.

  “How are things, Helen?” Darcy ordered her coffee at the same time and accepted the warm cup from Helen’s hands.

  Helen ran a hand through her graying hair. “Great Darcy, just great.”

  “And the pageant?”

  “Oh the pageant is going great, except for Mister Baskin.” Helen pulled a face as she said his name. Roland Baskin was notorious as the town’s resident grump. He had always hated the Christmas pageant with a passion, claiming it was too loud and there was too much hubbub. He’d earned the nickname of the Grinch among the kids in town. “He is already protesting about the pageant,” Helen said.

  “It wouldn’t be Christmas if he didn’t,” Darcy said with a smile as she picked up her coffee and headed for the bookstore.

  ***

  After the work day was done, passing quietly with few customers in the store, Darcy headed to the police station to catch up with Jon. The desk sergeant waved her through, buzzing the door open that separated the lobby from the officer’s desks, and she found Jon on the phone. When he hung up he looked distracted. When he noticed her he startled and tried to cover it with a quick hello.

  She stopped. He seemed so distant. The good feeling she had gotten back about their relationship started to slip away again. She spun the antique silver ring on her right hand ring finger. It was a nervous habit she had whenever she was stressed or anxious. The ring had belonged to her great-aunt Millie when she had been alive, along with the house that Darcy lived in and the bookstore. Darcy had inherited all three. The ring meant a lot to her. In times of stress she sought its comfort.

  Jon finally smiled and she thought maybe she had only imagined the way he had looked at her. She stepped closer to his desk, and as she did he stood up. “I have to go and help out the guys in Meadowood tonight. Um. Raincheck on dinner?”

  Darcy felt her mood deflate again. These ups and downs were getting exhausting. “Oh, okay. Is everything alright?”

  Meadowood was the next town over from Misty Hollow and was quite a bit bigger. The crime rate had increased over there in the last few weeks as Christmas got closer. It wasn’t unusual for that township to ask for help from the surrounding departments, including Misty Hollow, but still Darcy couldn’t help but feel like Jon was making up excuses.

  Rifling through the papers on his desk he said, “No, baby. Everything’s fine. They had a tip that a larger burglary is going to take place tonight. They’re asking for help. That’s all.”

  Darcy hoped that he wasn’t using that as an excuse to avoid her. Even as the thought flashed through her mind she felt foolish for it. “No I understand. Just be safe. Okay?”

  “Of course. Thanks for being understanding.” He leaned into hug her, holding her tightly. She reached up for a kiss but he was already walking past her for the door.

  “I’ll see you later, all right Darcy?”

  The door closed behind him with a very final-sounding click. Sometimes she wished that her abilities extended to sensing what living people were feeling and thinking. Sometimes it was so much easier to communicate with ghosts than it was with real people.

  Realizing she was starting to draw the stares of the other officers in the room she quietly slipped out the door and headed home.

  ***

  Darcy stood back with hands on hips to admire the Christmas tree she was decorating in the living room of her home. She looked it up and down and this way and that. It looked pretty good but it needed something else. She riffled through her decoration box looking for the perfect ornament when her hand landed on a delicate silver angel. She hung the ornament on one of the top branches and stepped back again to admire her handiwork. Perfect.

  Darcy laughed when Smudge jumped up and swiped some of the candy canes lower down on the tree. He had been trying to knock them all off as soon as she put them on. It had become a sort of a game. “Stop it Smudge. I have it looking perfect. Don’t ruin it.”

  He gave her a glare with his wide green kitty cat eyes and then skulked away. They had worked out a language between them over the years. She didn’t know if he actually understood what she said or what she meant, but eithe
r way, Smudge had been her closest friend for a long time.

  As Darcy straightened the tree once again she shivered with a sudden flash of cold. Rubbing her hands up and down the goose bumps on her arms she looked all around for the source of the cold. A draft, maybe? Had she left a window open?

  Darcy went around the room, and then the rest of the downstairs checking the windows one by one but they were all shut and locked. It wasn’t that.

  She breathed out. Her breath plumed.

  Still shivering she wandered back to the living room and stood with hands on her hips. Listening carefully, she heard noise where there was just silence a moment ago. Outside something whirled and paced, like a gale force wind. Her front door started banging with the force of it and she jumped.

  It almost sounded as if someone was knocking. Strange.

  She went to the front door. It thumped rhythmically against its thick wooden frame, thump, thump, thump. Curious, she reached out to open it, startled when it blew inwards with force enough to knock her off her feet before she’d even touched the handle. Stunned, her vision sparking with stars, she looked up into the face of the night.

  The ghost of an older man stood there. Graying dark hair, wide face, clothes that were wrinkled and unkempt. He reached his arms toward her and she felt the waves of frigid cold coming off from him.

  “Who are you?” Darcy asked as she pushed herself to her feet again. Ghosts in her life were nothing new. She had spoken to any number of them. Usually, however, they didn’t make house calls.

  The ghost raised his arms up above his head and as he did so Darcy was pushed back by a harsh gust of wind. She felt fear ripple in her belly. She had never met a ghost where this happened before.

  “My name is Roger,” she heard the spirit speak, a watery voice that touched the furthest corners of her mind. “Many years ago on Christmas Eve I was murdered.”

  Ghosts were rarely this direct. The ones who were able to speak to the living usually had to do so in riddles or snatches of remembered conversations. Roger here seemed to have no trouble communicating. Darcy centered herself and prepared to do what her gift allowed her to do.