Read Online Granny Apples 05 - Ghost in the Guacamole by Sue Ann Jaffarian - Free Book Online Page A

“It was from my mother, but she said the call only lasted about ten to fifteen minutes. Dad was gone close to two hours before I went looking for him.”
    â€œTell her,” came a voice that was more like a sound carried on a breeze.
    Emma slowly turned her heard toward the sound but saw nothing.
    â€œTell her what I told you yesterday,” the ghost of Felix Ricardo insisted. “Tell her to sell and let’s be done with this.”

• CHAPTER SIX •

    T HE spirit finally started coming into view. No, not one spirit, but two. Emma’s first thought was that Felix had brought his father, Paco Ricardo, with him. But as the images of the two ghosts came more into view, she realized Granny was the second image.
    â€œLook who I found floating about,” Granny said with a pleased grin. “He was wandering around outside and seemed a bit confused.”
    Felix looked around the room, taking in each living person in turn, his eyes resting the longest on his daughter, who was watching Emma with interest.
    â€œI was not confused,” Felix told Granny, nearly snapping at her.
    â€œAll right. All right,” snapped Granny back. “Don’t get your
pantalones
in a bunch.”
    Felix did not take his eyes from Rikki’s face as he explained, “Almost every morning before we opened, I would stroll Olvera Street greeting longtime friends and wishing them a good day.” He turned to look at Emma, twitching his mustache before speaking. “I still do it most mornings. I will continue to do it long after this place is sold, even if they cannot see or hear me. I grew up with many of these people and have known their families for years. Like this restaurant, many of the businesses on this street have been here for generations.”
    â€œWhat are you looking at?” Rikki asked Emma. She turned to look at the doorway, but saw nothing.
    â€œI thought I heard something,” Emma semi-lied, not quite ready to tell Rikki the truth.
    Phil was also looking toward the doorway. He couldn’t see Felix or Granny, but knew from being with Emma and from the cool breeze coming from that direction that at least one spirit had entered the room. He moved back against the wall, by one of the windows, and leaned against it to watch. The windows were open, letting in the early morning breeze before the heat of the day took over and they were closed to allow for the use of the AC. Granny floated up to him. “Look, Phil, Felix has a mustache just like yours, but he’s got a lot more hair on his head.” Sensing a spirit near him, Phil looked to Emma for some sign of explanation.
    Emma suppressed a smile but moved her gaze back to Felix. She’d tell Phil what Granny said later when they were alone. Or maybe not.
    â€œMy father’s here, isn’t he?” asked Rikki, getting up from her chair. She pointed to the doorway. “And he’s there, where you’re looking.”
    â€œSit down, Rikki,” Emma told her gently. When Rikki hesitated, Emma added, “Please.”
    Seeing Rikki’s hesitation, Phil added, “Listen to Emma if you want to communicate with your father, Rikki. Ghosts can be skittish. She knows what she’s doing.”
    Looking back and forth between Emma and Phil, Rikki finally relented and sat back down, but she swiveled her chair so that it faced the doorway. She pointed at it. “He’s there, isn’t he?”
    Emma took a deep breath, then admitted, “Yes, he is.”
    Rikki leaned forward, trying hard to see what she could not. “Daddy,” she said to the doorway. “Is that really you?”
    â€œSí, mi hija
.
”
Felix’s face softened and he came closer. Like the day before, he tried to touch her head and face but his hand only went through her.
“Aiiii,”
he said to Emma, his face drooping with sadness. “It is so frustrating to not be able to touch my baby