Read Online Cloudy with a Chance of Ghosts (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by J.D. Winters - Free Book Online
Authors: J.D. Winters
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them?” I asked. “And what did she take?”
“It was the woman who used to live here. Marilee. She took everything.” She shrugged, looking tragic. “I couldn’t stop her.”
“Does Debbie know?”
“Debbie?” She looked blank, as though she didn’t know who I was talking about. “I don’t know.”
This whole situation didn’t make any sense, but I was beginning to realize it was usually like that with ghosts. I didn’t know if it was a case of them really not knowing things, or if they were hiding things they did know, or if they were just annoyed with living people and didn’t give a fig whether they helped them or not. It was a mystery.
Suddenly I noticed that the little Siamese cat was sitting next to her on the bed. Well, that made a lot of sense. No wonder she was so infuriating. She was a ghost cat I supposed. Funny. She looked substantial.
I heard Debbie’s voice from below and I sucked in my breath and turned on my heel. “I have to go,” I said. I really didn’t want to get caught up here again—especially now that the secret place in the wall was empty.
I was down the stairs in a flash and ready with a bright smile the moment Debbie turned my way. She was walking in with Jill and didn’t even acknowledge my presence.
“I think he’s really an important image in the artistic community,” she was saying. “I’m sure all this nonsense about Keri will get cleared up and he’ll be back, good as ever.”
“I sure hope so.” Jill sounded worried. She looked over at me. “Did you get the rest of the paintings packed up?” she asked.
Of course I hadn’t. I’d been trailing ghost cats up forbidden stairways and meeting wispy wraiths with secrets. I didn’t have time for common hard labor.
“I was just taking a break,” I said, giving her a wink.
She frowned at me which was unexpected. I could tell she was seriously unsettled about the situation with Jagger. Was she beginning to wonder why he had been kept at the police station for so long? I was afraid there were substantial reasons for that.
“We ought to get this done,” she pointed out, looking anxious.
And so we got back to work.
A half hour later we had everything packed up and ready to go. We carried the boxes out to the truck, then looked back at the house, sitting so high and proud above its neighbors. I wondered what Carlton was doing—what his daughter Debbie was up to. The murder in their front yard had to be completely debilitating for both of them—yet, they could do better if they reached out to the rest of us instead of acting like we might be guilty.
Still, maybe that wasn’t it at all. What if they were guilty? It was something to think about.
“When does Jagger get released?” I asked Jill.
“He said he might be home in time for lunch,” she replied. “But I thought he would have called me by now.”
“Okay. Why don’t you drop me at home and take the truck? That way you can store the paintings wherever he’s planning.”
“Oh, thanks Mele. That would be great.”
“Girls! Oh girls!”
It was Alda, coming out from the house with a stack of something in her arms.
“Wait a moment! I’ve got copies of the photo from yesterday. The one where we tried to get everyone included. Of course, we couldn’t get everyone. You know what happened to poor Keri, but there are others who didn’t show up for the picture as well. I just don’t know why people have to make it all so hard to organize. But never mind. Here, I wanted you each to have a copy of the group photo.”
“Oh, thanks Alda. I’d love to have a copy.”
“I set a bunch out so that everyone could pick up one as they were leaving, but someone grabbed the whole stack and took them. Can you believe it? What would they do that for? So rude! But no matter—I had more already printed. So I’ve put a new stack out, but I wanted to catch you and make sure you each got one.”
“Thanks Alda.
“It was the woman who used to live here. Marilee. She took everything.” She shrugged, looking tragic. “I couldn’t stop her.”
“Does Debbie know?”
“Debbie?” She looked blank, as though she didn’t know who I was talking about. “I don’t know.”
This whole situation didn’t make any sense, but I was beginning to realize it was usually like that with ghosts. I didn’t know if it was a case of them really not knowing things, or if they were hiding things they did know, or if they were just annoyed with living people and didn’t give a fig whether they helped them or not. It was a mystery.
Suddenly I noticed that the little Siamese cat was sitting next to her on the bed. Well, that made a lot of sense. No wonder she was so infuriating. She was a ghost cat I supposed. Funny. She looked substantial.
I heard Debbie’s voice from below and I sucked in my breath and turned on my heel. “I have to go,” I said. I really didn’t want to get caught up here again—especially now that the secret place in the wall was empty.
I was down the stairs in a flash and ready with a bright smile the moment Debbie turned my way. She was walking in with Jill and didn’t even acknowledge my presence.
“I think he’s really an important image in the artistic community,” she was saying. “I’m sure all this nonsense about Keri will get cleared up and he’ll be back, good as ever.”
“I sure hope so.” Jill sounded worried. She looked over at me. “Did you get the rest of the paintings packed up?” she asked.
Of course I hadn’t. I’d been trailing ghost cats up forbidden stairways and meeting wispy wraiths with secrets. I didn’t have time for common hard labor.
“I was just taking a break,” I said, giving her a wink.
She frowned at me which was unexpected. I could tell she was seriously unsettled about the situation with Jagger. Was she beginning to wonder why he had been kept at the police station for so long? I was afraid there were substantial reasons for that.
“We ought to get this done,” she pointed out, looking anxious.
And so we got back to work.
A half hour later we had everything packed up and ready to go. We carried the boxes out to the truck, then looked back at the house, sitting so high and proud above its neighbors. I wondered what Carlton was doing—what his daughter Debbie was up to. The murder in their front yard had to be completely debilitating for both of them—yet, they could do better if they reached out to the rest of us instead of acting like we might be guilty.
Still, maybe that wasn’t it at all. What if they were guilty? It was something to think about.
“When does Jagger get released?” I asked Jill.
“He said he might be home in time for lunch,” she replied. “But I thought he would have called me by now.”
“Okay. Why don’t you drop me at home and take the truck? That way you can store the paintings wherever he’s planning.”
“Oh, thanks Mele. That would be great.”
“Girls! Oh girls!”
It was Alda, coming out from the house with a stack of something in her arms.
“Wait a moment! I’ve got copies of the photo from yesterday. The one where we tried to get everyone included. Of course, we couldn’t get everyone. You know what happened to poor Keri, but there are others who didn’t show up for the picture as well. I just don’t know why people have to make it all so hard to organize. But never mind. Here, I wanted you each to have a copy of the group photo.”
“Oh, thanks Alda. I’d love to have a copy.”
“I set a bunch out so that everyone could pick up one as they were leaving, but someone grabbed the whole stack and took them. Can you believe it? What would they do that for? So rude! But no matter—I had more already printed. So I’ve put a new stack out, but I wanted to catch you and make sure you each got one.”
“Thanks Alda.
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