Read Online Never Can Say Goodbye by Christina Jones - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christina Jones
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it loads of times. Especially on
duvet days. You always cry.’
‘Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore are
acting.
It isn’t a sodding documentary
.
’
Lilly looked crestfallen.
‘And you –’ Frankie turned to Brian ‘– should have told me about … well … about her, um, troubles.’
‘You said you knew.’ Brian sounded sulky. ‘I said she had troubles and you had to take her as you found her and you said yes.’
Oh, God …
‘All I knew about Maisie,’ Frankie hissed through gritted teeth, ‘was that she has a shoe fetish and eats Toast Toppers.’
‘Does she?’ Dexter looked at Maisie with new interest. ‘Lovely – I haven’t had a Toast Topper since I was a kid.’
Frankie groaned.
‘No, well –’ Brian blinked slowly ‘– maybe I should have said. She sees ghosts. They make her come over all funny. But she
says she can talk to them. And they talk back to her.’
‘Rubbish,’ Frankie said sharply. ‘And please don’t tell anyone else that. Especially not here. You know what Kingston Dapple’s
like – it only takes one whisper to start the rumour mill grinding.’
‘Ah, you don’t need to worry about that, gel. Everyone local knows about Maisie. If she says a place is haunted then we just
accept that it’s haunted. We take it as read so to speak. We’re all used to it. No one gets scared off by Maisie’s ghost stories.’
‘Is that because no one’s ever seen one of Maisie’s ghosts?’ Dexter queried. ‘Has there ever been a sighting?’
Maisie, still quivering, gave a soft sigh. ‘
I
see them, young man. And that’s all you need to know.’
‘But no one else does – has?’
Maisie looked piqued. ‘Well, no, not yet … ’
‘Which is why, gel,’ Brian whispered to Frankie, ‘you don’t need to fret too much over this. Look at ’em – all the locals.
They ain’t taking too much notice, are they?’
Frankie looked round the shop. OK, it was true that the crowd in the shop were definitely divided into two camps. Those villagers
who clearly knew all about Maisie’s ‘troubles’ had stared at her during the fainting episode with amused concern but little
surprise; whereas those to whom Maisie the medium was a whole new phenomenon, had been shocked rigid.
Brian beamed kindly at Frankie. ‘Don’t worry, gel. She ain’t the best in the business by a long chalk. Maisie’s ghost-busting
won’t affect your little shop.’
‘It might,’ Lilly said. ‘Especially if she eventually manages to conjure one up.’
‘I’m not damn Paul Daniels,’ Maisie said huffily. ‘It’s not a magic act.’
‘Course it’s not, gel,’ Brian said soothingly. ‘We all knows that. Now, if them old spirits are giving you a bit of gyp here,
shall we get you home?’
‘That would be lovely, sweetheart. Thank you.’ Maisie looked at Frankie. ‘Sorry not to have been able to help with the clearing
up. I wasn’t expecting, well, to be taken over the way I was. And can I give you a word of advice?’
‘Please do,’ Frankie said faintly.
‘Well, sweetheart. I’d suggest that you let me come back when the shop’s empty and let me talk to the poor souls who are here.
See if I can get them to leave, you know, sweetheart? I’m afraid you won’t be successful until they’ve gone.’
Frankie sighed. ‘Thank you for the offer, but honestly, no. And anyway, if you think this place is haunted, then why didn’t
the ghosts cause a problem for Rita? I’ve worked here for three years with Rita and no one’s ever mentioned ghosts.’
‘They were probably here all the time, sweetheart. I don’t know. I never came here. And Rita wouldn’t have noticed anyway,
would she? Rita was very one-dimensional, sweetheart. No imagination.’
‘Rita had loads of imagination,’ Frankie said robustly. ‘But not even Rita would have imagined she was surrounded by the souls
of the dead or whatever they’re supposed to be. It’s complete
duvet days. You always cry.’
‘Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore are
acting.
It isn’t a sodding documentary
.
’
Lilly looked crestfallen.
‘And you –’ Frankie turned to Brian ‘– should have told me about … well … about her, um, troubles.’
‘You said you knew.’ Brian sounded sulky. ‘I said she had troubles and you had to take her as you found her and you said yes.’
Oh, God …
‘All I knew about Maisie,’ Frankie hissed through gritted teeth, ‘was that she has a shoe fetish and eats Toast Toppers.’
‘Does she?’ Dexter looked at Maisie with new interest. ‘Lovely – I haven’t had a Toast Topper since I was a kid.’
Frankie groaned.
‘No, well –’ Brian blinked slowly ‘– maybe I should have said. She sees ghosts. They make her come over all funny. But she
says she can talk to them. And they talk back to her.’
‘Rubbish,’ Frankie said sharply. ‘And please don’t tell anyone else that. Especially not here. You know what Kingston Dapple’s
like – it only takes one whisper to start the rumour mill grinding.’
‘Ah, you don’t need to worry about that, gel. Everyone local knows about Maisie. If she says a place is haunted then we just
accept that it’s haunted. We take it as read so to speak. We’re all used to it. No one gets scared off by Maisie’s ghost stories.’
‘Is that because no one’s ever seen one of Maisie’s ghosts?’ Dexter queried. ‘Has there ever been a sighting?’
Maisie, still quivering, gave a soft sigh. ‘
I
see them, young man. And that’s all you need to know.’
‘But no one else does – has?’
Maisie looked piqued. ‘Well, no, not yet … ’
‘Which is why, gel,’ Brian whispered to Frankie, ‘you don’t need to fret too much over this. Look at ’em – all the locals.
They ain’t taking too much notice, are they?’
Frankie looked round the shop. OK, it was true that the crowd in the shop were definitely divided into two camps. Those villagers
who clearly knew all about Maisie’s ‘troubles’ had stared at her during the fainting episode with amused concern but little
surprise; whereas those to whom Maisie the medium was a whole new phenomenon, had been shocked rigid.
Brian beamed kindly at Frankie. ‘Don’t worry, gel. She ain’t the best in the business by a long chalk. Maisie’s ghost-busting
won’t affect your little shop.’
‘It might,’ Lilly said. ‘Especially if she eventually manages to conjure one up.’
‘I’m not damn Paul Daniels,’ Maisie said huffily. ‘It’s not a magic act.’
‘Course it’s not, gel,’ Brian said soothingly. ‘We all knows that. Now, if them old spirits are giving you a bit of gyp here,
shall we get you home?’
‘That would be lovely, sweetheart. Thank you.’ Maisie looked at Frankie. ‘Sorry not to have been able to help with the clearing
up. I wasn’t expecting, well, to be taken over the way I was. And can I give you a word of advice?’
‘Please do,’ Frankie said faintly.
‘Well, sweetheart. I’d suggest that you let me come back when the shop’s empty and let me talk to the poor souls who are here.
See if I can get them to leave, you know, sweetheart? I’m afraid you won’t be successful until they’ve gone.’
Frankie sighed. ‘Thank you for the offer, but honestly, no. And anyway, if you think this place is haunted, then why didn’t
the ghosts cause a problem for Rita? I’ve worked here for three years with Rita and no one’s ever mentioned ghosts.’
‘They were probably here all the time, sweetheart. I don’t know. I never came here. And Rita wouldn’t have noticed anyway,
would she? Rita was very one-dimensional, sweetheart. No imagination.’
‘Rita had loads of imagination,’ Frankie said robustly. ‘But not even Rita would have imagined she was surrounded by the souls
of the dead or whatever they’re supposed to be. It’s complete
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