Ghostly Fright

by K E O'Connor

  “Which means Zara lied to us,” I said.

  Felicity stopped in front of me and nodded.

  I couldn’t ask her a direct question with Julius in the room, so I addressed the next query to him. “Just to be clear, Felicity was never involved with Luke.”

  She nodded at me quickly.

  “Quite right,” Julius said. “I may miss a few things around here, but they weren’t together.”

  “And Zara could have grown close to Barnaby and begun a relationship with him while Felicity was alive?”

  Felicity’s expression was pained, but she eventually nodded.

  “It’s not much of a stretch of the imagination to think they grew close,” Julius said.

  “Felicity was devoted to her plants,” Helen said. “Maybe Barnaby wasn’t happy to be second fiddle to a load of poisonous green things.”

  Julius nodded. “Zara’s a nice woman and has a great set of pins. They could have grown close because Felicity neglected Barnaby.”

  “Although that’s no excuse to want her dead,” I said.

  “If we’re thinking like a frustrated, neglected boyfriend,” Helen said, “he would need his ego massaged by someone. Zara is single, attractive, and clever. Barnaby seduced her under Felicity’s nose.”

  My breath caught in my throat. “They could be in on this together.”

  “Steady on!” Julius wiped a hand across his brow. “Barnaby and his floozy killed Felicity?”

  “It’s not you or Luke. It had to be someone close to the family. Someone who knew how to handle dangerous plants and was close enough to Felicity to slip poison into her food or drink without her being suspicious.”

  “But which one of them planted the poison?” Helen asked.

  “I don’t know.” I studied the anxious expression on Felicity’s face. “Another big problem we have is how we get them to confess.”

  Chapter 19

  Although I’d decided not to go all-out on a Halloween costume for the Fleur de Bloom launch party, I’d let Helen do my makeup. My skin was green-tinged and lips painted black. I wore a smart, practical black cocktail dress and black pumps, so I could race around checking on everything as the guests arrived. I also had a long, black cloak to slip on when I could finally relax and enjoy a little dance and some food. It was only right to get into the spirit of Halloween.

  It had been two days since our discovery that Julius was innocent of Felicity’s murder, and our top suspects were now Zara and Barnaby.

  I had mixed feelings about Zara being involved. She’d been so good to us since we arrived at Fleur de Bloom. I’d let my good relationship with her cloud my judgment. I had to put my emotions to the side and consider all the options. And we’d come up with a plan to do just that and force a confession to reveal the truth.

  The party was in full swing. The garden was full of dozens of witches and wizards, people in skeleton costumes, werewolves, and vampires. There were even a few mummies. Everyone loved the Halloween-themed food Helen served, and I spotted plates full of ghost-shaped sandwiches, coffin surprises, and spider cookies.

  I hurried to take more invitations from guests as they arrived and hurried into the marquee to get out of the chilly night air. My mind was partly on Flipper, who I’d insisted stay tucked in his bed out of the way. I didn’t think the stress of a party and being surrounded by lots of strangers would do him any good. He had not been happy, but I’d left him with a bowl of chicken and rice, flavored with Helen’s special broth, and he’d soon changed his mind.

  As I let new guests into the marquee, I noticed a witch with a huge crooked hat and a green face and a wizard in a purple cloak sneak a kiss behind a bush away from the crowds. I grinned as I saw the kiss grow passionate. They’d smear their face paint if they kept on like that.

  I greeted a few more guests and was about to walk away when I saw the kissing couple break apart. The witch adjusted her hat, and surprise ran through me as I saw it was Zara.

  I took a step closer, my gaze on the wizard. He took off his long, flowing wizard’s beard, and my eyes widened. It was Barnaby! Our hunch was right. They were involved. They must have figured that their disguises would give them a chance to be together without anyone noticing.

  My heart thudded in my chest as I hurried to find Helen and tell her what I’d seen. Now that I knew for sure they were an item, it only added to my conviction that they had something to do with Felicity’s murder. But had they worked together to get rid of her?

  “Lorna!”

  I grimaced as I recognized the voice and turned on my heel to see Zara striding toward me. “We need to get everyone together. I want to start the flower auction then I’ll unveil our new hybrids.” She grinned at me. “It’s going so well. This wouldn’t have happened without you.”

  I forced a smile. “That’s what I’m here for. Are you having a nice time?”

  Her grin widened. “I’ll admit I was stressed out before the party started, but everyone is having a fabulous time. Thanks so much.” She hugged me before hurrying to the main marquee and chivvying guests inside.

  I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about thinking she was involved in Felicity’s murder. Zara was a genuinely lovely person. But even nice people had dark sides, and I was worried her dark side led her to kill her best friend.

  I spent the next ten minutes gently herding the crowd into the marquee, so Zara could begin the rare flower auction. Once everybody was assembled, I lingered at the back, keeping an eye out for Helen.

  My nerves jangled as I considered what we were about to do in order to find our killer or killers. I really hoped it would work. It was a risk and could backfire. We’d end up losing our jobs and getting in trouble, but we had to take the chance. Felicity deserved justice.

  “Welcome, everyone. It’s nice to have you here this evening. Everyone’s done an incredible job on their costumes. You all look suitably terrifying,” Zara said from the front of the marquee. “We’re here this evening for two reasons. First of all, we’ll be auctioning several rare flowers in our collection. The money will be donated to a horticultural charity that helps inner-city children experience life in nature and teaches them valuable skills for their future. It was a charity Felicity Fleur held dear to her heart. Everyone will need to dig deep in their pockets and be as generous as they can for this fabulous charity.”

  The crowd murmured in agreement.

  “The second reason is to launch our amazing new hybrid plants. I’m sure many of you have placed your orders already. Tonight marks the official preview of the flowers, so you can see them up close. They are a rare and wonderful sight and perfect for this spooky night.”

  Helen appeared by my side, dressed in a pink, sparkly fairy costume with a unicorn horn on her head, her cell phone in one hand. She passed me a plastic box. “Everything you need is in there. I’ve measured the ingredients perfectly, so no one will get a high dose. Whatever you do, don’t let anybody else eat it, and they can only have one piece each. This is only for our suspects.”

  I nodded as I clutched the box to my chest. “I’m not letting this out of my sight. Any luck with the CCTV from the greenhouse?”

  “I’ve got two more files to watch. I’m watching them on my cell phone, but it’s so dull. Watching the back of Felicity’s head is not inspiring. I’m not sure we’re going to find anything.”

  My stomach clenched with nerves. “But we need proof to back up our assumption. If I force a confession and we have no evidence, it won’t be enough.”

  “I’m watching as fast as I can. I’ll let you know if I spot anything suspicious.”

  I looked at the box I held. “Are you sure this won’t do them any harm?”

  “I’ve researched it and double-checked everything. This will have the right effect. Anyone who eats these Black Magic brownies will develop symptoms similar to angel’s trumpet poisoning. The killers will have no choice but to confess if they believe they’re going to die.”

 
; That was our grand, if not sophisticated, plan. Fake poisoning all the suspects. My next challenge was to get them together, feed them the brownies, and tell them my suspicions. With a bit of luck, the killer, or killers, would come forward because they’d be desperate to get treatment before they succumbed to the poison.

  Helen looked at the food table and gasped. “I’ve got to go. The peanut butter spider cookies are almost gone.” She hurried away and gestured to the servers that were helping her, who dashed off to get more treats.

  I remained at the back of the marquee, watching as the auction got underway. Three rare flowers were auctioned, a rainbow rose, a black orchid, and a foxtail barley hybrid, each fetching over two thousand. Zara moved on to auction some rare seeds, and I was surprised when the highest bid was for over five thousand. It was amazing what people would pay for their passions.

  “Thank you, everyone, for your generosity,” Zara said. “I’m happy to announce we raised over eleven thousand for the charity. Please give yourselves a round of applause for your generous donations.”

  Everyone clapped before a hush descended as two people walked in carrying a large box, which they sat next to Zara.

  She looked around the room, excitement on her face. “This is it. This is what everyone has been waiting for. This is our first novelty hybrid flower. It took our wonderfully talented Felicity Fleur three years to perfect this. I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. It’s a shame she cannot be here to witness the unveiling.”

  Zara carefully lifted off the top of the box, and the crowd surged forward. There were several gasps of delight as people studied the flower. I stood on my tiptoes but couldn’t see over everyone’s heads.

  “Take a moment to enjoy this stunning bloom. I guarantee all the orders you have placed will meet the quality of this flower. Your customers will be delighted.” Zara watched the crowds for several minutes before placing down her microphone and walking to the back of the marquee to join me.

  This was my opportunity. It was time to gather my suspects.

  “What do you think? Do they look happy?” Zara gestured at the crowd.

  “Everyone looks thrilled,” I said.

  “I can’t believe it’s gone so well. Less than two weeks ago, I thought this would have to be canceled. Here we are. Thanks to you and Helen, we’ve pulled it off.”

  I ignored the twinge of guilt. I was doing this for Felicity. I needed confirmation that Zara was involved in her murder. She might be a decent boss, but I couldn’t let her off the hook. “We should celebrate. Take five minutes to congratulate ourselves on a job well done.”

  “Why not! Everyone is occupied with the flowers. The music will start in a few minutes, and my hard work is done. What do you have in mind?”

  “Champagne and brownies,” I said. “Let’s gather everyone else, and we can toast the success of your evening.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea,” Zara said. “And it’s our success, not just mine. If you’re interested, I’d love for you and Helen to stay on. It’s been lovely having you here, and you’re both brilliant at your jobs.”

  I smiled, feeling a sliver of regret. I did enjoy working at Fleur de Bloom. If I could discount the creepy house full of ghosts and the murder of an eccentric flower lover on the grounds, I might have been tempted.

  “What do you say? I’m thinking we can have monthly events similar to this. Well, maybe not with the crazy outfits, but something similar. We can put Fleur de Bloom on the international map.”

  “That’s good of you to offer. I’ll definitely think about it.”

  She squeezed my hand. “You do that. Look, there’s Horatio and Julius.” Zara pointed to an enormous werewolf and a ghoul with a large glass of wine in his hand.

  I squinted across the room. “Are you sure it’s them?”

  Zara chuckled. “Julius has barely been out of that werewolf costume since he decided that’s what he would wear. And that’s definitely Horatio. I helped him with his make up.”

  I spotted Barnaby lurking by the food table in his wizard outfit. “We should include Barnaby, as well. He’ll want to celebrate his girlfriend’s success, even though Felicity can’t be here.” I hoped her ghost would put in an appearance, though. When I confronted Zara and Barnaby, I wanted her to see.

  Zara’s smile faltered. “I guess he should be. He does have a small stake in the company, after all.”

  “Let’s use the office. It’s almost dried out now and will be much quieter.” It also had a handy lock on the door that could be secured from the outside as per my plan with Helen.

  “That works. We won’t be disturbed as we toast our success. I’ll grab the others and see you there in a minute.” Zara hurried over to Julius and Horatio.

  I walked over and grabbed Barnaby by the arm. “We’re getting together to celebrate. I thought you’d like to be included.”

  Barnaby studied the mummy meringue in his hand. “What are we celebrating?”

  “Felicity’s success,” I said. “I know you were close. It’s only right you’re involved. Everyone’s heading to the office for some champagne.”

  Barnaby shrugged. “I don’t see why not, although Felicity wouldn’t have been impressed by all of this. If she’d been here tonight, she’d have hidden in the greenhouse and talked to her plants.”

  “Felicity was a special lady,” I said as I led Barnaby across the grass to the office. The lights were already on when we arrived, and Zara was pouring champagne into glasses.

  I let Barnaby go in front of me then glanced to my left and waved a hand. Helen poked her head out from behind a bush and gave me a thumbs-up. She was waiting to lock us in, so nobody could get out after the poisoned brownies had been eaten.

  Once inside, I shut the door and accepted a glass of champagne from Zara, forcing my nerves down as I looked at everybody.

  “This is Lorna’s brilliant idea,” Zara said as she tucked her hand through my elbow. “We’ve all worked hard to make tonight spectacular. These amazing hybrid plants have been in development for a long time, and we’ve never had such a successful product launch. They will make us extremely wealthy.”

  “Cheers to that.” Julius raised his glass, and everyone joined him in the cheers.

  “Helen has baked us a special treat to celebrate.” I passed around the Black Magic brownies. “She loves to develop recipes. This is a new one, and she insists everyone tries it.”

  I pretended to eat a piece as I watched everyone to make sure the treats were consumed.

  Zara swallowed her mouthful and inspected the remains of her brownie. “This looks similar to the amazing Black Magic cake on the table in the marquee.”

  I nodded. “The ingredients are similar. She just adapted it.”

  Barnaby licked his lips. “It has an unusual flavor. Did she use some special ingredient?”

  I looked around the group and swallowed. This was it, confession time. “Helen put angel’s trumpet in these brownies.”

  Zara dropped the rest of her brownie on the floor and stared at it in horror. “Angel’s trumpet? The plant?”

  “That’s right.”

  Barnaby coughed and slung his brownie down. “Is she mad? Doesn’t she know what that does if you eat it?”

  Horatio glanced at them, surprise on his face. “Lorna must be mistaken. Isn’t that some kind of food flavoring?”

  “No, you moron. You don’t use angel’s trumpet flowers to flavor food.” Zara rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth. “It’s a poisonous plant.”

  “We have to get out of here,” Barnaby said.

  Horatio stared at the brownie, and the color drained from his face. “Why would Helen want to poison us?”

  Julius placed his glass down, his expression serious. “Wait a moment. That’s the poisonous plant found in Felicity’s system when the police did the new tests on her body.”

  Barnaby glanced at Zara, who scowled at him.

  “Right again,” I said.

&
nbsp; Barnaby hurried to the door and pulled on the handle. “The damn thing is stuck.”

  Zara joined him, and they tugged on the handle together.

  “Wait just a minute,” I said.

  Barnaby glared at me over his shoulder. “You don’t get it. Angel’s trumpet is not to be messed with. It can kill.”

  Zara turned her panicked gaze to me. “You know how toxic it is. Your dog ate some. He was really sick.”

  I clasped my hands together. “Felicity’s death wasn’t an accident. She was poisoned by someone in this room.”

  Horatio’s jaw dropped. “That’s why you’ve been snooping around, asking all those questions? Someone in here killed my sister?”

  I nodded. “Something in my gut told me Felicity needed help.”

  “You can’t help her now. She’s dead.” Barnaby jabbed a finger at the door. “Unlock this immediately, or I’ll have you arrested, you crazy woman.”

  “I don’t have the key,” I said. “It’s locked from the outside. It will remain locked until whoever murdered Felicity confesses.”

  “This is madness.” Barnaby clutched his stomach. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Zara said. “You know angel’s trumpet doesn’t work that fast.”

  I tilted my head. “I thought Barnaby knew nothing about flowers.”

  Zara waved a hand in the air. “That’s not important. We have to get out of here and get treatment as quickly as possible.”

  “We have time before the poison does you harm.” A shiver of ice dripped down my spine. Felicity popped into view and floated around the group. “You all claim to have cared about Felicity. You must want to see her killer unmasked. Her killer is in this room.”

  Julius nodded. “Of course we do. But I’ve already given you my alibi. Why poison me?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Call it payback for the times you’ve scared Helen and me.”

  “I say! Poisoning a person because of a couple of poorly timed jokes is a bit much.”

  “Lorna, you’re making a mistake. It can’t be anyone here,” Zara said. “The police are looking into Felicity’s death again, but that doesn’t mean it was murder.” She tugged at the door handle again.