Read Online The Haunted Beach (Tropical Breeze Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Mary Bowers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Bowers
Ads: Link
until they got over the dune and into Santorini itself. If he kept to the shadows and didn’t sneeze, they probably wouldn’t notice him.
He began to consider if Frieda, in her ghostly state, might not sense his living presence. He was so engrossed in the idea that when he found another person just where he’d decided to set up, he nearly screamed.
“Ed, is that you?” the shadowy form said. In a heart-stopping way, the figure slowly rose up before him and stared. “What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?”
Ed had recognized him, but needed a moment to recover. Then he said, “The same thing you are, Ben. I’m waiting to see if your wife shows up.”
Ben Brinker stood absolutely still for a moment. “So the whole damn neighborhood knows,” he said finally.
At 62, Ben Brinker was slightly younger than his wife. He was a nondescript man of average height with a thick head of white hair and glasses, and had already been living in Santorini when Ed moved in eight years before.
“The cleaning ladies told me in the strictest confidence,” Ed said. “Nobody else knows.”
“The hell they don’t. Those two were born with megaphones where their mouths should be and shit for brains. What in blazes did they tell you for? And how did they know?”
“Dolores showed them the paintings she’d made of her mother’s spirit. It all spun out from there.”
“Oh.”
Ben turned and stared at the ocean. Then he said, “Frieda’s dead. She’s dead. It’s not her. It’s Dolores.”
Edson lowered his head. “I know.”
“You know what?” Ben said angrily. “That my wife is going crazy? That she’s seeing things? That I’m not up to the job of keeping her in at night instead of letting her slip out and run down the beach with invisible people?”
“Come on, Ben, that’s not fair. I only want to help.”
“This is about that stupid show of yours, isn’t it? You’re going to bring that Teddy guy down here to make a show about my wife and make fools out of both of us, right?”
“As God is my witness, I’m not letting Teddy Force anywhere near Dolores. But I’m worried about her, and so are the twins. I don’t know if Frieda is haunting your wife or not, but keep in mind, I’m the skeptical one on Haunt or Hoax? My first instinct is always that nothing paranormal is going on. So let me help you. At least let me keep you company. Since you’re here, I guess I can assume that Dolores got out again tonight, right? That you think she’s out here on the beach somewhere?”
Ben sat down heavily and took a swig from a beer can he had in the cup holder. Then he gestured beside him for Ed to set up his chair and sit down.
“I’ve looked around already,” Ben said. “She’s not here. I fell asleep in front of the TV, and when I woke up, she was gone.”
“What about Frieda’s house?”
“What about it?”
“Don’t you think she might be in the house if she’s not here on the beach?”
“I – I guess I never thought of that. The only times she’s slipped out, I’ve been able to go out on a balcony and see her down here. Tonight she wasn’t on the beach – at least, I couldn’t see her – but I came out anyway because I didn’t know what else to do. I’ve looked up and down the waterline. Nothing. I never thought about her going to her mother’s house.”
“Well,” Ed said, lighting up his atomic wristwatch, “it’s 12:17. Why don’t we give it until 1:00, and if she doesn’t come back, we can go into the house and make sure she’s not there.”
Ben snorted. “By that time she’ll probably be back in her bed sleeping like a baby, and we’ll have been running around like idiots all night.”
“That would be the best-case scenario,” Ed pointed out.
Ben thought about it while he took another sip of beer. Finally he said, “Oh, all right. At 1:00, we go looking. But I hate that damn house, and of all times of the day to have to go over there – the
He began to consider if Frieda, in her ghostly state, might not sense his living presence. He was so engrossed in the idea that when he found another person just where he’d decided to set up, he nearly screamed.
“Ed, is that you?” the shadowy form said. In a heart-stopping way, the figure slowly rose up before him and stared. “What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?”
Ed had recognized him, but needed a moment to recover. Then he said, “The same thing you are, Ben. I’m waiting to see if your wife shows up.”
Ben Brinker stood absolutely still for a moment. “So the whole damn neighborhood knows,” he said finally.
At 62, Ben Brinker was slightly younger than his wife. He was a nondescript man of average height with a thick head of white hair and glasses, and had already been living in Santorini when Ed moved in eight years before.
“The cleaning ladies told me in the strictest confidence,” Ed said. “Nobody else knows.”
“The hell they don’t. Those two were born with megaphones where their mouths should be and shit for brains. What in blazes did they tell you for? And how did they know?”
“Dolores showed them the paintings she’d made of her mother’s spirit. It all spun out from there.”
“Oh.”
Ben turned and stared at the ocean. Then he said, “Frieda’s dead. She’s dead. It’s not her. It’s Dolores.”
Edson lowered his head. “I know.”
“You know what?” Ben said angrily. “That my wife is going crazy? That she’s seeing things? That I’m not up to the job of keeping her in at night instead of letting her slip out and run down the beach with invisible people?”
“Come on, Ben, that’s not fair. I only want to help.”
“This is about that stupid show of yours, isn’t it? You’re going to bring that Teddy guy down here to make a show about my wife and make fools out of both of us, right?”
“As God is my witness, I’m not letting Teddy Force anywhere near Dolores. But I’m worried about her, and so are the twins. I don’t know if Frieda is haunting your wife or not, but keep in mind, I’m the skeptical one on Haunt or Hoax? My first instinct is always that nothing paranormal is going on. So let me help you. At least let me keep you company. Since you’re here, I guess I can assume that Dolores got out again tonight, right? That you think she’s out here on the beach somewhere?”
Ben sat down heavily and took a swig from a beer can he had in the cup holder. Then he gestured beside him for Ed to set up his chair and sit down.
“I’ve looked around already,” Ben said. “She’s not here. I fell asleep in front of the TV, and when I woke up, she was gone.”
“What about Frieda’s house?”
“What about it?”
“Don’t you think she might be in the house if she’s not here on the beach?”
“I – I guess I never thought of that. The only times she’s slipped out, I’ve been able to go out on a balcony and see her down here. Tonight she wasn’t on the beach – at least, I couldn’t see her – but I came out anyway because I didn’t know what else to do. I’ve looked up and down the waterline. Nothing. I never thought about her going to her mother’s house.”
“Well,” Ed said, lighting up his atomic wristwatch, “it’s 12:17. Why don’t we give it until 1:00, and if she doesn’t come back, we can go into the house and make sure she’s not there.”
Ben snorted. “By that time she’ll probably be back in her bed sleeping like a baby, and we’ll have been running around like idiots all night.”
“That would be the best-case scenario,” Ed pointed out.
Ben thought about it while he took another sip of beer. Finally he said, “Oh, all right. At 1:00, we go looking. But I hate that damn house, and of all times of the day to have to go over there – the
Similar Books
