Read Online Make the Ghost of It (Witch Woods Funeral Home Book 3): (Ghost Cozy Mystery series) by Morgana Best - Free Book Online
Authors: Morgana Best
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to speak with Basil, because the police had taken him in yet again for questioning.
I met Pastor Green at the door, and he looked even more stressed than I was. Pastor Green wasn’t a man who normally looked stressed, and that was a miracle in itself given that Mom and Ian were in his congregation. “Hi, Pastor Green. Please come into my office and we can go over the service. Would you like coffee?”
“No thanks, Laurel. Tell me, what do you know about the deceased?”
I shrugged. “Really, I don’t know anything. He was a friend of Basil’s, or at least he went to college with him. Haven’t you spoken to Norbert, and Lewis’s fiance, Violet? I gave them your number.”
By now we had reached my office, and I held the door open for the pastor. When we had both taken our seats, he continued. “They called me just to confirm the time, but when I asked them about Mr. Lowes, they didn’t say much at all.”
“Did you speak with Norbert or Violet?” I asked him.
“Both of them, actually,” the Pastor said, raising his eyebrows. “It seems they are sharing a hotel room.”
“That was the impression I had, too,” I said.
“Neither of them could tell me anything much about Lewis. I said I needed to say something about him at the service, but they didn’t seem at all interested. To tell you the truth, Laurel, this has never happened to me before. Usually people are most forthcoming about the deceased. They usually tell me all sorts of anecdotes about the person, what their life was like, and so on.”
I chewed the end of the pen, and tried to ignore Lewis who had materialized behind the Pastor.
“I told you Norbert killed me!” Lewis said angrily. “He took my fiancée, and that was his motive for killing me. I told you he was always jealous of me! It was him, I tell you!” His voice had risen to a high pitch.
“Sorry, Pastor Green,” I said. “My mind just wandered. What did you say again?” I shot Lewis a glare hoping he would go away, but he didn’t.
“I said that I tried to call Basil to ask him more about Lewis, but he wasn’t answering his cell phone.”
I rubbed my temples. “Unfortunately, it seems Basil is the police’s main, in fact only, suspect in Lewis’s murder.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Pastor Green said.
Ernie materialized next to Lewis. “The two lovebirds have just arrived,” he announced, earning a glare from Lewis. Just then the front door chimed.
“That’s probably Norbert and Violet now,” I said to Pastor Green.
I opened the door to see Norbert and Violet, and a tall man standing next to them. He was gripping Violet’s arm, presumably in a gesture of support, but she was leaning away from him.
Norbert at once introduced the man as Theo Derringer. “He was the second in command to Lewis,” he said. “You know, in Lewis’s accounting firm.”
I nodded, and in turn introduced Pastor Green. I ushered them inside, into the memorial room. While the four of them were making small talk, I took the opportunity to study Theo. He reminded me of a snake. He was tall and very skinny, and somewhat stooped, yet his face had a youthful quality about it. His eyes, however, darted from side to side, and were small and glittering. They were an unusual amber color, amber irises surrounding tiny black pupils. The only time I had seen eyes like that before was on a deadly Eastern Brown snake. I just hoped he wasn’t about to strike.
Yet when he finally did speak, he was completely garrulous. Words gushed from him just as water had gushed from my pipes that morning when the plumber had attempted, unsuccessfully, to plumb in my bathroom. It looked like I would have to continue to use the cosmetician room facilities for a while longer.
People were starting to arrive, so I slipped into my role as a hostess. Theo followed me, allegedly to assist me, but I still felt uneasy around him. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, and his words came out with a hiss like a snake.
I met Pastor Green at the door, and he looked even more stressed than I was. Pastor Green wasn’t a man who normally looked stressed, and that was a miracle in itself given that Mom and Ian were in his congregation. “Hi, Pastor Green. Please come into my office and we can go over the service. Would you like coffee?”
“No thanks, Laurel. Tell me, what do you know about the deceased?”
I shrugged. “Really, I don’t know anything. He was a friend of Basil’s, or at least he went to college with him. Haven’t you spoken to Norbert, and Lewis’s fiance, Violet? I gave them your number.”
By now we had reached my office, and I held the door open for the pastor. When we had both taken our seats, he continued. “They called me just to confirm the time, but when I asked them about Mr. Lowes, they didn’t say much at all.”
“Did you speak with Norbert or Violet?” I asked him.
“Both of them, actually,” the Pastor said, raising his eyebrows. “It seems they are sharing a hotel room.”
“That was the impression I had, too,” I said.
“Neither of them could tell me anything much about Lewis. I said I needed to say something about him at the service, but they didn’t seem at all interested. To tell you the truth, Laurel, this has never happened to me before. Usually people are most forthcoming about the deceased. They usually tell me all sorts of anecdotes about the person, what their life was like, and so on.”
I chewed the end of the pen, and tried to ignore Lewis who had materialized behind the Pastor.
“I told you Norbert killed me!” Lewis said angrily. “He took my fiancée, and that was his motive for killing me. I told you he was always jealous of me! It was him, I tell you!” His voice had risen to a high pitch.
“Sorry, Pastor Green,” I said. “My mind just wandered. What did you say again?” I shot Lewis a glare hoping he would go away, but he didn’t.
“I said that I tried to call Basil to ask him more about Lewis, but he wasn’t answering his cell phone.”
I rubbed my temples. “Unfortunately, it seems Basil is the police’s main, in fact only, suspect in Lewis’s murder.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Pastor Green said.
Ernie materialized next to Lewis. “The two lovebirds have just arrived,” he announced, earning a glare from Lewis. Just then the front door chimed.
“That’s probably Norbert and Violet now,” I said to Pastor Green.
I opened the door to see Norbert and Violet, and a tall man standing next to them. He was gripping Violet’s arm, presumably in a gesture of support, but she was leaning away from him.
Norbert at once introduced the man as Theo Derringer. “He was the second in command to Lewis,” he said. “You know, in Lewis’s accounting firm.”
I nodded, and in turn introduced Pastor Green. I ushered them inside, into the memorial room. While the four of them were making small talk, I took the opportunity to study Theo. He reminded me of a snake. He was tall and very skinny, and somewhat stooped, yet his face had a youthful quality about it. His eyes, however, darted from side to side, and were small and glittering. They were an unusual amber color, amber irises surrounding tiny black pupils. The only time I had seen eyes like that before was on a deadly Eastern Brown snake. I just hoped he wasn’t about to strike.
Yet when he finally did speak, he was completely garrulous. Words gushed from him just as water had gushed from my pipes that morning when the plumber had attempted, unsuccessfully, to plumb in my bathroom. It looked like I would have to continue to use the cosmetician room facilities for a while longer.
People were starting to arrive, so I slipped into my role as a hostess. Theo followed me, allegedly to assist me, but I still felt uneasy around him. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, and his words came out with a hiss like a snake.
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