by K E O'Connor
Mickey Kill climbed to his feet. “Then I’m not paying you.”
“Come off it,” said the boy. “I did what you asked.”
“You did the opposite,” said Mickey Kill. “You led them right to me.”
“Just pay him,” snapped Helen. “We need to talk to you about important business.”
Mickey Kill sighed before shoving his hand into his pocket and thrusting a note at the boy.
“You’re a bunch of weirdos.” He grabbed it and ran off, without looking back.
I placed my hands on my hips as my gaze ran over Mickey Kill. “Are you going to take off your stupid disguise?”
“I don’t like people seeing my face.”
“We’re not going to tell your mom you’ve been out after curfew if that’s what you’re worried about,” said Helen.
“I don’t live with my mom!”
“So you won’t mind if we see your face,” I said.
Reluctantly, Mickey Kill lowered the scarf and removed the dark glasses. He had a narrow face, pale skin, and large dark eyes.
Now I could see his face, I wasn’t so worried. He was young and nervous. “It’s nice to meet you in person, Mickey Kill. What’s with all the secrecy?”
Mickey shuffled his feet. “I’ve already said that place you’re working in is dangerous. It’s risky being involved in this.”
“We are involved,” I said. “We’re working with Alex.”
“Alex isn’t the problem,” said Mickey Kill. “He’s a decent guy. Not as good a gamer as me, of course, but he’s fair about stuff.”
“We don’t care about your games,” said Helen. “What do you know about how Greg was killed?”
Mickey Kill shushed Helen. “Not so loud. People might be listening.”
“Like you do, using my phone,” I said.
Mickey Kill shrugged. “I need to know I can trust you.”
“You can,” I said. “We want to figure out what happened to Greg. What was the message you wanted to give us?”
Mickey Kill looked up and down the empty street before stepping closer. “Piers and Harriet stole a business. They betrayed Greg.”
“What did they do with the stolen business?” I asked.
“They gave it to Alex,” said Mickey Kill. “Greg had been working on a new version of a dating app. It was different to what Alex already has. It was next level sophisticated. He was willing to offer a one hundred percent guarantee you would find your soulmate using this app.”
“That sounds too good to be true.”
“It really wasn’t,” said Mickey Kill. “I’ve seen the prototype.”
“Why would Greg keep this new app from Alex?”
“He wasn’t planning to,” said Mickey Kill. “He wanted to make sure it was perfect before he unveiled it. They were good friends, but their friendship was a competitive one. They were always trying to outdo each other and produce a better game or app.”
“Piers and Harriet found out about it?” asked Helen.
“They must have. I watched Piers play nice with Greg and heard them talking about the dating app. Greg showed him an early version of what he was working on. When Greg left the room, Piers accessed his data and made a copy.”
“Has Alex seen this data?”
“Not yet,” said Mickey Kill. “Piers gave it to him, but Alex is too wrapped up in finishing his Bog Glob game to look through it. The guy gets crazy into something and that’s all he can focus on.”
“Which means Piers’s plan failed,” I said. “If Piers stole this information off Greg to impress Alex and make him think this was his design, but Alex isn’t using it, then what’s he achieved?”
“Alex will get around to it,” said Mickey Kill.
“Is that why Piers is still hanging about?” I asked. “He’s waiting for Alex to see what a great concept he’s given him and reward him?”
Mickey Kill nodded. “I reckon Piers thinks Alex will see how incredible this prototype is and bring in Piers as an official business partner. When he does that, he’ll be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Piers has his eyes on the money and is prepared to wait.”
“But if Piers only has this one amazing app, won’t Alex realize something is off?” asked Helen.
“Piers won’t care,” said Mickey Kill. “He’ll take the money and run.”
“Is Harriet involved as well?” I asked.
“She must be,” said Mickey Kill. “Do you know they’re seeing each other behind Alex’s back?”
“I’ve seen them together,” I said.
“Don’t trust either of them,” said Mickey Kill. “I’m sure they killed Greg to keep him quiet. He must have figured out what Piers did and was going to tell Alex.”
“How would they have access to an armed drone?”
“Maybe it was a setup,” said Mickey Kill.
“You mean they didn’t use an armed drone?” I was getting confused.
“All I know is it has to be them.”
The man in the cafe opened the door and looked out at us. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sorry to abandon our food,” I said. “We saw an old friend and wanted to say hello.”
“Your tea is getting cold,” said the man. “I’ll make you a fresh pot.”
“Thanks,” said Helen. “That will be lovely.”
“Why don’t you come inside with us?” I said to Mickey Kill. “We can talk about this some more. We need to figure out how Piers or Harriet got hold of an armed drone.”
Mickey looked over his shoulder and shook his head. “I can’t afford to be seen out in public too long. There are eyes everywhere watching what we do. This street has closed circuit cameras.”
“For our safety, not to spy on us,” I said, looking around the peaceful street.
“That’s what they want you to believe.”
“For goodness sake,” said Helen, “anyone would think you’re a wanted criminal.”
Mickey Kill flashed her a smile. “Maybe I am.”
Helen gave a disparaging snort. “I doubt it. You don’t look old enough to shave, let alone commit a crime.”
Mickey Kill pouted. “You’ve seen me in action on the games.”
“Shooting people in a computer game doesn’t make you a hard-core gangster.”
Mickey Kill grabbed his bike from the ground. “There’s a killer on the loose. I don’t want to be around in case they get suspicious that we’re working out what they did and come after me.”
“A true sign of a wanted criminal,” said Helen. “Scared to be out after dark.”
“Wait! You need to help us,” I said. “We need proof about Harriet and Piers.”
“All I can tell you is what I saw,” said Mickey Kill as he jumped on his bike.
“How are you able to see what we do inside Alex’s house?” asked Helen. “It’s full on creepy that you are watching us.”
He smiled. “We all have our secrets.”
Helen tutted and shook her head. “Stop spying. It’s rude.”
“If I wasn’t spying, then I wouldn’t know something was off with Harriet and Piers.” Mickey Kill shot off into the night, leaving us standing outside the cafe.
“He wasn’t much help,” said Helen.
“Not much,” I said. “I was expecting him to give us some actual proof, not more theories.”
Helen looked back at the cafe. “Come on. We’ve got tea to drink, and I want to try a strawberry tarte. Maybe that will help us figure out this mess.”
I highly doubted it but felt in need of caffeine and sugar. My head was full of suspects and questions, and I felt no closer to helping Greg.
Chapter 16
We were the last customers to leave the cafe, having sampled several more cakes.
I had a bag of cakes in my hand, one with Flipper’s name on it. It was only right he got a treat after we’d left him alone for so long.
I sat in the back seat of the car with Flipper and fed him pieces of sponge cake as He
len drove us back to the house.
“We need to get this sorted out,” said Helen.
“It will be good to help Greg,” I said. “The poor guy doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. When he does appear, he’s either too glum to help or gets spooked and vanishes.”
“A ghost who gets scared,” said Helen. “Now I’ve seen everything.”
“You can’t actually see Greg.”
“You know what I mean. Besides, I’m not that bothered about Greg,” said Helen. “Gunner and Zach arrive in two days. I don’t want to be distracted by trying to solve this murder.”
“It would be terrible if an unsolved crime impeded your love life.”
Helen shot me a dirty look in the rear-view mirror. “You should want it sorted quickly as well. Gunner never knows what to make of your ghost talk, and Zach never likes it when you get your head turned by an unquiet spirit.”
“Zach is used to it,” I said, “especially now he has his own resident ghost at our house to deal with. And as for Gunner, well, he can think what he likes about ghosts, so long as he doesn’t make fun of me about it.”
“He’d never do that,” said Helen. “He believes you. Gunner is very open-minded.”
“Is that in all aspects of his life?”
“Don’t be rude.”
I sat back in the seat and fed Flipper the last of the cake. Now he had sponge cake in his belly, he was happy.
I let out a sigh and looked out the window. The unfinished business of Zach’s ghostly ex-wife troubled me. I needed time off to sort that out. It made me uncertain of everything I’d built with Zach. That wasn’t fair to either of us.
Helen glanced over her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
I ran my fingers through Flipper’s fur. “I’m worried about Amelia.”
“You’ll get that figured out,” said Helen. “There must be a reason she’s living in our home.”
“That reason is Zach.”
“He doesn’t love her,” said Helen. “He’s mad about you. I know he’s not great at showing it, but he’s happy with you.”
“I know he cares,” I said. “I just wish he hadn’t kept it a secret from me. Now she’s in the house and causing problems. At least, if I’d known he’d been married, and then the ghost wife popped up, it wouldn’t have been such a shock.”
“Don’t let her cause problems between you two,” said Helen. “When we get back from this job, tell Amelia to get lost. She’s not welcome. Can’t you get her exorcised?”
“I’ve never done an exorcism. I don’t think it’s the right fit for a ghost. She’s not a demon or anything negative.”
“She’s hardly a positive influence on your relationship with Zach,” said Helen. “You and Amelia need to sit down and figure out what she’s playing at. Tell her she’s had her chance with Zach and messed up. It’s time for her to move on.”
“Maybe she can’t move on,” I said. “Maybe she’s stuck here and needs help.”
“She’s come to you for help?”
“That’s part of the problem. Amelia never appears when I’m around. If she wants my help, then she’s rubbish at asking for it.”
“It could be she’s just a spiteful ex-wife with an attitude problem,” said Helen. “Make sure she doesn’t walk all over your relationship with Zach. The two of you are so good together. Don’t let Amelia spoil things.”
“You’re right, not only about Amelia but also Greg. It will be good to sort this out. We still need evidence that Harriet and Piers are involved. I’m not convinced it was Alex, despite what Eva told us.”
A small, low-flying aeroplane droned past us, heading toward the ground.
“That might be going to the place where Camilla volunteers,” I said.
“What does she do there?”
“Nothing exciting,” I said. “She dragged Alex out there one morning, and he moaned about having to go.”
“Maybe it’s one of those tedious aeroplane museums,” said Helen. “All those hunks of junk lying around for people to ogle at. I can’t imagine anything more boring.”
I sat up in my seat. “Maybe it’s more than that. What if you can learn to fly there?”
Helen stopped the car outside the house and turned to look at me. “Do you think Piers and Harriet have been taking private lessons at this place?”
“They could have learned to fly a drone there.”
“I doubt an aeroplane museum would offer lessons in how to fly an armed drone.”
“They wouldn’t need to learn how to fly an armed drone,” I said. “All they’d need to do was get good at flying a model plane or a normal drone. That would give them the skills they’d need to use an armed drone.”
“I’m not sure.” Helen opened the car door and climbed out. I followed her with Flipper. “Neither Piers nor Harriet strike me as the kind of people who’d be interested in learning how to fly a model plane.”
“They would if they had an ulterior motive.”
“What about Eva’s theory about Alex?” Helen walked to the front door. “He definitely knows how to do it.”
“So Eva says,” I said. “But Mickey Kill was not complimentary about her. He said not to trust her.”
“Since when have we started trusting anything Mickey Kill has to say?” asked Helen. “And, why would Eva want her brother jailed for a murder he didn’t commit?”
I sighed as I followed Helen to the kitchen. “I’m not sure. Maybe they secretly hate each other. Or she’s jealous of him and wants to be the center of attention. Do you remember when we first arrived here, and Camilla didn’t even mention Eva? That sort of benign neglect must sting.”
As we entered the kitchen, the temperature was much cooler. Greg drifted around the table, a sad look on his face.
Helen rubbed her hands together. “Have we got company?”
Flipper ran to where Greg was floating and sat at his feet.
“We have.” I placed the cakes on the table and took off my jacket. “I don’t suppose you want to help us whittle down some of these suspects?”
Greg looked up at me and shrugged.
“Just a few hints would help,” I said. “Was it a man or a woman?”
Greg pointed out the window.
“Of course, it was night time.” I let out another sigh. “You wouldn’t have seen who shot you.”
“Especially not if he was running away from a drone,” said Helen. “If it had been me, I’d have sprinted like an Olympic athlete.”
Greg nodded and continued floating around the kitchen table, Flipper following at his heel.
“And you’re certain Alex didn’t kill you?” I said to him.
Greg pulled up short and shook his head violently.
“What does he think of that?” asked Helen.
“He’s still not keen on Alex being the killer.”
Greg shook the table, the legs bouncing up and down.
Flipper hurried over and looked hopefully at the bag of cakes that wobbled on the edge.
I grabbed the cakes and shoved them away from Flipper’s waiting mouth. “Calm down,” I said to Greg. “We’re trying to figure out who hurt you. We learned tonight that Piers stole a business from you.”
The table stopped shaking. Greg gave me a puzzled look.
“It was your new dating app.”
That same puzzled look remained.
“Does he think it was them?” asked Helen.
“Greg just looks confused.” I took a deep breath. I’d never met such an uncertain ghost before. “Did Piers steal your app?”
Greg shrugged. His image faded, and his gaze went to the ground.
It looked as if he had given up the fight, almost as if he didn’t care what had happened to him. If that was the case, then why was he still here?
“We need to find the evidence for ourselves,” said Helen.
“It looks like we’ll have to.” I watched, as Greg slowly faded away. I wished he had a bit more backbone, but I fel
t sorry for him. He seemed so sad and lonely. Maybe he had been in life as well. People like Piers and Harriet preyed on vulnerable eccentrics like Greg and Alex. It wasn’t fair. It made me all the more determined to help him.
Chapter 17
“That’s a no to the party at the Ritz in London. A no to the opening of the new art gallery in Winchester, and you definitely don’t want to go to the paint balling millionaires’ activity day in Hampshire?” I’d finally made my way through all the invitations Alex had received over the last three months. Every one he turned down.
Alex glanced up from his usual position on the couch. “That’s right. Parties exhaust me. I’ve never really understood art, and can you see me with a paint gun in my hand, running through a forest with a bunch of egomaniacs?”
He had a point, although he was handy with a gun when it had anything to do with his computer games and possibly when it came to flying armed drones and killing his best friend.
After my conversations with Eva and Mickey Kill, I was on the fence as to who harmed Greg. Alex had the means to do it, but I wasn’t sure of his motives. Harriet and Piers would gain from Greg being out of the way, but from what I knew, neither of them had any clue about armed drones. Add to that Greg’s confusion as to Piers actually stealing anything from him, and I’d gotten no closer to the truth.
I looked at the final invitation sitting on the desk, an open day at the local airbase. It came complete with a funfair, food, and drink, and the opportunity to fly your own drone.
“Here’s one that’s local.” I lifted the plain green invitation. “It’s an air show at the local base this weekend. That would be easy to get to.”
Alex shook his head. “Mom makes me spend far too much time there as it is. I don’t want to go dragging around there at the weekend, especially not when it will be full of people staring at all the aircraft.”
“They invited you as a special guest to open the event,” I said. “They must want a local celebrity.”
“Then they’ve got the wrong person,” said Alex. “I’ve never been into ribbon cutting ceremonies.”
“It could be fun,” I said. “I might go.”
“I wouldn’t waste your time,” said Alex. “Unless you’re into boring planes like Mom is.”
