“He could be confused,” I said, as I watched Dillon pace across the floor. “He’s trying to find Blake in the house and he’s not here.”

  “Being confused is not an excuse for messing with the bedding.”

  I ducked down, so I was the same level as Dillon. “Do you know what happened to Blake?”

  Dillon’s head lowered as he continued to pace.

  “He’s not here anymore. Blake doesn’t live in this house. He’s the same as you.” I had no clue if Dillon understood what I was saying, but his pacing slowed and he sat down.

  “Try to find him,” I said. “We’d like to help him, and you, if we can.”

  Dillon’s gaze shot to the bedroom door before he growled and vanished.

  “What’s wrong with him now?” I asked, as I stood up.

  “What’s Dillon doing?”

  “He just vanished.” I tilted my head to one side, hearing footsteps rushing past the door. I ran to the door and opened it to see Honey hurrying away, a bag in her hand. “Honey, is everything okay?”

  She turned toward me and I could see tears on her cheeks. “No. Everything is awful.”

  Chapter 12

  I gestured Honey toward me. “What’s wrong?”

  Honey sniffed, her gaze going to the stairs. “I need to leave.”

  “You can spare me five minutes,” I said to her. “I’d like to help.”

  Slowly, she walked toward me, her shoulders slumped. She paused when she saw Helen and Flipper in the room. “Hope you don’t mind me interrupting.” Honey dabbed her nose with a handkerchief.

  “Has something happened?” asked Helen, giving her a worried look.

  “Oh, nothing really.” Honey hovered in the doorway. “Well, actually everything. Not sure where to start.”

  “You’re leaving?” Helen walked over, her gaze on the bag in Honey’s hand.

  “Have nowhere to go, but I can’t stay here anymore.” A sob hiccupped out of Honey’s mouth.

  “Let’s talk about this over some hot chocolate.” Helen marched out of the bedroom door. “Can’t have you leaving in the middle of the night if you’ve got nowhere to go.”

  Honey gave a small nod before following Helen. I walked along beside her, Flipper at my heel. We didn’t talk until we reached the kitchen.

  Helen busied herself with making hot chocolate. I set out a plate of cookies, even though I was still stuffed from the dinner. “So, what’s wrong?” I sat next to Honey.

  Honey sniffed again, her hands clasped in front of her, resting on the kitchen island. “Since Blake’s gone, everything’s gotten so much harder.”

  “You were fond of him?” asked Helen, as she placed mini marshmallows on top of the hot chocolate.

  “He was a good man,” said Honey. “He treated me well. I felt so lucky to be here. Even though Julianne is so... difficult.”

  “She bullies you,” I said.

  “You noticed.”

  “Hard to miss,” I said.

  “Now Blake’s gone, she’s got me doing all sorts of things I hadn’t expected to do,” said Honey.

  “You were Blake’s... assistant?” Helen passed around the hot chocolate and sat down.

  “In a way,” said Honey. “I saw it as a work experience position, trying all different aspects of the business to find out what I liked, see what I was good at and what I needed training in. Blake supported that. Even said he’d help to finance any additional studying I needed.”

  “That was kind of him,” I said. And not the thing most people did for assistants. “How did you meet?”

  “In the yacht club,” said Honey. “I couldn’t afford to be in there. You need to pay to be a member. But I slipped in the back door, ordered a lime and soda, and hung out with the rich people. It’s silly, really.”

  “No, it’s not,” I said. “Sometimes, it’s nice to get a glimpse of how the other half live. It’s part of the reason we do these jobs.”

  Honey blushed and ducked her head. “And, I have to admit it would be nice to find a rich boyfriend. I’m not a money grubber, but my mom’s been sick and has missed several mortgage payments. We’re getting desperate as to where to find enough money to pay the bills. Blake overheard me asking for a job behind the bar.”

  “So he offered you a place here?”

  “That’s right. We got chatting. He said I reminded him of someone he used to know. We got along well. At the end of the afternoon, he offered me this position. I couldn’t believe my luck. I didn’t have to go on a date with a man old enough to be my father and I got to learn loads of useful stuff.”

  “When did the problems with Julianne start?” asked Helen. “I’m guessing she’s the reason you’re leaving.”

  “Pretty much,” said Honey. “She was sharp with me almost straightaway. I did everything I could to get on her good side, but nothing made her happy. And whenever Blake’s back was turned, she snapped. And I overheard her several times insisting Blake get rid of me.”

  “But he never agreed,” I said. “Shows he thought you had potential.”

  “Blake was always stubborn,” said Honey, a small smile crossing her face. “I think he partly kept me here because it annoyed Julianne. She wanted me gone and he didn’t.”

  “Blake had a competitive side?” Maybe he’d picked a fight with the wrong person.

  Honey nodded and then flinched backwards. I looked down to see Flipper resting his head on her knee.

  “Don’t worry about Flipper. He’s friendly.”

  “I’m sure he’s lovely. But I’m nervous around dogs. Got bitten by a Jack Russell when I was a kid.”

  “Flipper only bites on command.”

  Honey shot a nervous glance at Flipper. “I know it sounds weird, but I’m sure I keep glimpsing a dog around the house. Every now and again, I’m sure I see a dog running along the hallway. But no dogs live here anymore.”

  “Maybe it’s a stray who snuck in,” I suggested innocently. Or, more likely, she was seeing Dillon as he raced around the house, trying to figure out what had happened to him.

  “Could be that,” said Honey. “And I’m always on edge. Never know when I will run into Julianne and she’ll find some excuse to shout at me.”

  Flipper whined and stepped away from Honey. He could sense when he wouldn’t win somebody around with his doggy charms.

  “Are you sure you won’t stay?” asked Helen. “If you talk to Julianne, tell her how you’re feeling, she might realize she’s being unfair on you.”

  “She doesn’t care how I feel,” said Honey. “She wants me out of here.”

  “Where will you go?” I asked.

  “I’ve got enough money for a few nights in a hotel. After that, I must figure out something else.”

  “Haven’t you got any family you can stay with? You mentioned your mom.”

  “I’m an only child. Mom lives hundreds of miles away. Besides, I don’t want to worry her when she’s having her own troubles. She thinks I’m having a great time down here, learning how to be an entrepreneur. It would break her heart to know what’s really going on and how much of a failure her daughter is. I should listen to Marcus, keep on husband hunting and use my assets to land a rich guy.”

  “I don’t think that lifestyle will suit you,” I said.

  “Honestly, I’d be bored rigid.” Honey shot me a smile. “I like to work for my money, show I’m not some blonde airhead. I have a brain up here.” She tapped the side of her head.

  “You have my sympathy.” Helen patted the back of Honey’s hand. “But we blonde bombshells must stick together. Sleep on it and don’t go sneaking off in the night. Get a good night’s rest. Then, consider your options in the morning.”

  “And we can help find you a new job,” I said. “We have a great recruitment agency that finds us these jobs. I’m sure they’ll want someone like you on their books.”

  “You really think they’d help?” Honey’s tear-stained face brightened.

  “No harm in asking,” I said. “You stay here for now. I’ll get on to the agency first thing. Most of the positions are live in, so you’d solve your accommodation problem too.”

  “Thank you. That’s kind of you.” Honey finished her hot chocolate and stood. “Well, I guess I’m staying a bit longer.”

  “I’ll let you know how I get on with the agency,” I said.

  We said our good nights and Honey left the kitchen, her step lighter and her bag swinging from her hand.

  Helen looked over at me. “Don’t forget she’s a suspect in Blake’s murder. You could be trying to get a job for a killer. The lovely Josie would not like you after that.”

  “His alleged murder. And if she is involved, we can’t let her leave,” I said. “What if she had something to do with it? If she vanishes into the night, we’ll never find her.”

  Helen ate a cookie. “So, we have Honey, Julianne, Marcus, and James as suspects. Too many suspects and too many good motives for wanting to bump off poor Blake.”

  I stretched my arms over my head, the lateness of the hour catching up with me. “What we need is for Blake to turn up and point a finger at one of them. Help us solve this thing, so we’re not left wondering what happened and why Dillon is still lurking around.” I hoped to get a good night’s sleep, but with a head full of suspects and no clue who to target as a prime suspect, I doubted I’d get any.

  Chapter 13

  My teeth were chattering when I woke the next morning. I rolled over and gasped. Lying next to me was a gorgeous ghost. He had a bright, white smile, a strong jaw line, floppy dark hair, and bore a striking resemblance to Channing.

  I sat up, feeling self-conscious as I yanked the duvet around me. I recognized this ghost from the pictures I’d seen around the house. “You must be Blake Carlisle.”

  His grin widened. He nodded before tilting his head to one side.

  “I’m Lorna Shadow. And I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you to be in my bed, given this is the first time we’ve met.”

  Blake gave a silent laugh before floating up and sitting on the side of the bed.

  I looked around for Flipper. He was usually great at alerting me when a ghost arrived. He was by the window, his tail tucked around him and a mournful expression on his face.

  Next to him was Dillon, who jumped around and skipped on his paws, his attention fixed on Blake.

  Blake patted his knee and Dillon launched himself toward him. As Blake stroked his head and ruffled his fur, it was easy to see he adored this dog. I sort of forgave him for sneaking into my bed because of that. He was a dog lover; he had to be a decent person.

  “Nice of you to make an appearance,” I said. “I was beginning to think I would have to get Dillon to show me what happened to you.”

  Blake looked around the room before shrugging.

  “Not happy to be back?”

  He shook his head as he continued to pet Dillon.

  “You don’t have happy memories here?” I asked. “Or is it more to do with what happened to you on the yacht?”

  Blake’s fingers ran over the wedding ring on his hand. He ducked his head.

  “Problems with Julianne?”

  He nodded.

  “Think she had anything to do with what happened to you? A jealous, vengeful wife is a dangerous thing.”

  He shrugged again before shaking his head.

  “You still loved her?”

  He nodded, before drifting around the room, Dillon following closely behind, his gaze fixed to Blake.

  Flipper grumbled as he passed him. Blake paused and attempted to pet him, but Flipper shifted away. That was unlike him. He must be feeling off-color because of Dillon’s presence.

  “Can you show me what happened to you on the yacht?” I grabbed my dressing gown and pulled it on before getting out of bed.

  Blake mimed being shoved.

  “That’s what happened to me,” I said, more to myself than him. “When I was on The Orwell, someone pushed me over the side. And I don’t think it was a living someone. It wasn’t you, was it?”

  Blake’s eyebrows shot up. He shook his head.

  My mobile buzzed and I grabbed it, seeing the call was from Zach.

  “Good morning,” said Zach. “How are things with your ghost dog?”

  “So far, so strange,” I said. “And I finally met his owner, just a few minutes ago.”

  “And is he being helpful?” Zach’s tone was cautious.

  “We’ve worked out he was pushed off the yacht, but that’s about it.”

  “Is he a friendly ghost?”

  “He’s friendly enough.” I decided not to mention that I’d woken with him in my bed. Zach could hardly get jealous of a ghost, but that might be a little too friendly for his liking.

  I looked over to see Blake and Dillon drifting around the room, not seeming in any hurry to figure out what happened to them.

  Zach muttered a curse, and I heard a door slam. “Something wrong?”

  “My favorite pair of shears are missing.”

  “You can’t blame me for those going astray,” I said.

  “It’s so weird. I’m sure I put them in our new garden shed, but have searched everywhere. I figured I might have moved them to the cupboard under the stairs, but just looked, and they’re nowhere to be found. My last place to look was the kitchen cabinets, but I checked the last one and nothing.”

  “Gunner’s not been doing a bit of gardening and hasn’t put them back in the right place?”

  “Gunner is like you when it comes to the garden,” said Zach. “He sits in it and enjoys the view, but that’s about it. I once gave him a job to remove the weeds from a flower bed and he pulled up everything. Said he wasn’t sure what was a flower and what was a weed, so he removed it all and started again.”

  “About Gunner,” I said, “did you know he’s in regular contact with Helen?”

  “Not exactly. But he’s always on his mobile,” said Zach. “And he’s being a nightmare. Keeps pacing around and complaining about things.”

  “He’s missing Helen!”

  “Try getting him to admit that,” said Zach. “I’ve asked him about her, but he says they’re friends.”

  “Helen told me their relationship is complicated.”

  “I wish they’d uncomplicate things and get on with it,” said Zach. “If he just admitted he was missing her, that would be a start.”

  “You should both come down here for the weekend,” I said. “That might cheer him up.”

  “Not a bad idea,” said Zach. “And I am missing you a tiny bit. And Jessie is missing Flipper like mad. She keeps sitting by the front door and then giving me longing looks as if I’m going to be able to magically bring Flipper through it.”

  “Can’t have the dogs separated for too long.” Flipper could do with some time with his best friend. Having Dillon around wasn’t suiting him. He needed something to look forward to.

  “I’ll speak to Gunner and see what he thinks,” said Zach. “But it sounds like a plan.”

  I looked over to Dillon and Blake and saw them fading away. I gestured for them to stay where they were. We still had lots to figure out. “I’d better go.”

  “Don’t let the ghosts mess you around.”

  “Don’t think they’ll be a problem. But there’s a long list of suspects to work through.”

  “Work through that list carefully. Don’t get yourself in trouble.”

  “I don’t even know what that word means.”

  Zach grunted. “I’d better go hunt out these shears. Catch up with you later.”

  I looked up from my mobile, determined to start weeding out some of the suspects with the help of Blake, but the ghosts had vanished.

  Chapter 14

  It was the end of a long day of writing letters, answering emails and sorting through Julianne’s admin.

  She’d flitted in and out of the room for most of the day, but never stayed long, so I was glad to have Flipper for company.

  I’d just shut down the computer, when Julianne walked in, a pile of bills in her hand.

  “Need to get these paid.” She slapped the papers on the desk. “Honestly, some of these charges are ridiculous. I don’t know what Blake was thinking when he paid them.” She lifted a bill. “What is a discretionary service charge based on previous activities?”

  “I can double check them if you’d like me to,” I said. “There might have been an error. You don’t want to pay for something you never received.”

  Julianne slumped into her seat and let out a sigh. “That would be useful.”

  “I’ll check through them all tomorrow.”

  Julianne pulled out a file and handed it to me. “And take a look at these car lease agreements. I’m embarrassed to say Blake had something of a midlife crisis before he died. Signed deals for two sports cars. I’ll never use them. And now he’s gone, they’re sitting in the garage gathering dust. See if there’s any way we can get out of the agreements without losing too much money.”

  “Not a problem,” I said.

  There was a knock on the door, and Marcus walked in. “Lovely to see you both here, ladies. Hope you’re both working hard on keeping the business going.”

  Julianne glared at him. “Well, it is my business to keep going.”

  Marcus looked at the file in my hands. His smile wavered before he grabbed it from me. “I can deal with the cars.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Julianne’s eyebrows rose.

  “It will be my pleasure,” said Marcus. “If you’re looking for a better deal, I will negotiate something. It is a skill I excel at. Blake always said so.”

  “I want to send them back and stop being taken advantage of,” said Julianne. “Can you make that happen?”

  “But the cars are important to the business.” Marcus clutched the file to his chest. Looked like he didn’t want to get rid of his sporty rides anytime soon.

  “We have a work van and our own private vehicles,” said Julianne. “Those sports cars are an expense we do not need.”

  “We can afford it.” Marcus’s bottom lip jutted out, making him look about twelve.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17