Murder Vows (Storage Ghost Murders Book 4) (9 page)

“It
doesn’t make sense. It says that I went to my room to have a lie down, I fell
asleep but then apparently woke up when I heard someone inside the room. The
police have assumed that a robbery was taking place and the thief, or thieves,
panicked and killed me.”

“Killed
you by putting a pillow over your face. It seems a feeble reason to me. If you
woke up and disturbed the thieves would you just lie on the bed and wait for them
to come over to you? I would have thought you’d leap out of bed, maybe grab a
weapon and then attack. It says in the report there were no signs of a struggle
although the drawers had been opened.”

Archie
frowned. “Unless, as that other report said, I was totally oblivious to the
break-in and the thieves decided to do away with me anyway. That doesn’t make
sense at all. And how did they get on to the balcony and break through the
French doors? Was there any evidence to back that up? This sounds suspicious to
me, someone is covering their tracks well.”

Grace
nodded. “Perhaps it was a member of staff who knew about the dodgy lock on the
honeymoon suite door. They could have thought you’d be away from the room for
hours and they decided to steal your belongings. They could have gone out
through the French doors.”

Grace
and Archie suddenly looked at each other. Archie said, “That girl! In Jessie’s
dress! Do you think she had something to do with it? She might have had an
accomplice and the robbery thing went wrong.”

“That’s
a possibility. She’s showing up for a reason.” Grace sighed. “These reports
don’t tell us anything, they don’t even mention what everyone was doing at the
time of your murder. How are we going to find that out?”

“I
suppose you’ll have to find a way to talk to them,” Archie said.

Grace
sighed again. “That’s exactly what I’ll have to do. I think I’ll start with
Gordon, ask him to come round to the shop to price up some work. It wouldn’t be
a lie, we do need some alterations doing.”

“Then
you can ask him if he did away with his wonderful son-in-law,” Archie said with
a poor attempt at a smile.

“Archie,
you don’t look good.”

“I
don’t feel good. I feel cold all over, like I’ve been betrayed. Would you mind
if I disappeared for a while? I don’t want to bring you down with my miserable
face.”

“No,
I don’t mind, and you haven’t got a miserable face. Where will you disappear
to? I know Pearl goes away quite often but she never tells me where she goes.”

Archie
gave her a genuine smile. “Pearl’s a good woman. We had a long talk when we
were alone, she’s had a tough life.”

Grace
casually looked down at her lap. “What did she tell you?”

Archie
laughed. “Ah! She was right. She said you’d try to find out things about her. I
won’t repeat her precise words but she said that if you asked about her life
I’m to tell you to mind your own business.”

Grace
looked up and grinned. “It was worth a try.”

“She
added that she’ll tell you what you need to know – when you need to know it.
Now, as for disappearing, I’m going to a place that was special to Jessie and
me, a beach in Cornwall.  It’ll be deserted at this time, not that anyone can
see me. It’ll calm me down, give me chance to think about things. Pearl said
it’ll help me to be on my own, to get used to being dead.” Archie laughed
again. “Don’t look so worried! It’s a good place. I’ll come back tomorrow. You
have a good sleep. And, Grace, thank you for helping me. I appreciate it.
Goodnight, and sweet dreams”

Archie
winked at her and disappeared.

The
house felt empty immediately. Thoughts of loneliness threatened to flood
Grace’s mind. She stood up and took her plate and mug into the kitchen. She
started to sing to herself.

Dealing
with ghosts was a difficult business, she was glad she was doing it but it
would be lovely to share this with someone else apart from Pearl. Maybe one day
she’d find that someone, someone who understood her.

Until
then she’d deal with her ghosts alone.

Grace
returned to the living room and took out a notepad and pen. She was glad that
Archie had gone. He wouldn’t be pleased about what she was going to do next.
She wrote down a list of names, then ‘motives’, and then ‘means’.

She
tapped her pen on the first name and said, “Now then, Jessie, let’s see what
reasons you would have to kill that handsome husband of yours.”

It
was surprisingly easy for Grace to come up with motives for everyone on her
list. All those hours watching ‘Murder, She Wrote’, and countless nights
reading Agatha Christie, were paying off.

She
was going to find out who murdered Archie Goodwin. She just wasn’t sure how she
was going to do it.

Chapter 19

Grace
was up early the next morning, eager to get going. She planned to catch the bus
to the shop and to then collect Frankie’s van. Her appointment at the hotel
wasn’t until 10 o’clock so she had plenty of time.

As
she walked down the stairs she noticed something on the floor near the front
door. She picked it up.

“Oh,
Frankie’s dropped the van keys off me. That was considerate,” Grace said to
herself, touched by her brother’s kindness. She saw a scrunched up note
half-sticking out of the letter box. She pulled it out and read the scribbled
message:

‘Grace,
here are the keys. Van needs filling up with petrol, £50 should do it. Ta.’

Grace
sighed. That’s why he’d dropped the van keys off. It wouldn’t surprise her if
he’d run out of petrol right outside her house.

She
made some breakfast and decided on her plan of action. She didn’t really have
one, she was going to turn up at the hotel with Archie and see if he could
remember anything. It was highly unlikely that there would be any clues hidden
away.

Speaking
of Archie, where was he?

Feeling
a bit silly, Grace called out to him. “Archie? If you’re here please show
yourself.”

She
felt a cold draft on her cheek. Archie appeared inches from her face, a smile
on his face. Grace kept forgetting how handsome he was. Thank goodness she’d
put her make-up on. Not that she was trying to impress Archie, no, that wasn’t
the reason at all.

Archie
took a step back and looked Grace up and down. He said, “That’s a lovely
outfit, that colour suits you. I can see you’ve had a good night’s sleep, your
skin is glowing.”

Grace
glowed a bit more as she waved away Archie’s compliments. She explained about
Frankie’s van as they walked into the kitchen.

Archie
glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall and said, “We’ve got plenty of time.
Have you had a cup of tea yet? Why don’t you make one and you can tell me all
about yourself. I wish I could join you in your morning beverage, I’ve got a
real craving for a strong coffee.”

Grace
said, “You don’t want to hear about me.”

Archie
settled down at the kitchen table. “I do want to hear about you. You know as
much as you need to know about me. I’m fascinated by your work. Have you seen
ghosts all your life? Aren’t you scared?”

Grace
began to make herself a cup of tea. As she did so she told Archie about how she
only started seeing ghosts after a near fatal car accident. She explained that
her parents had died in the accident and for once, she didn’t feel the familiar
pricking in her eyes as she spoke about Mum and Dad. She made the tea and sat
opposite Archie. He was a good listener and Grace found herself telling him
more than she’d told anyone, even Pearl.

Archie
frowned. “It sounds a dangerous job, you have to make sure you don’t put
yourself in harms way.”

Grace
gave him an embarrassed smile. “I’ve been to a few self-defence lessons.
Apparently, I have unusually sharp elbows which are super for jabbing people.”

Archie
laughed. “That could come in useful. If someone confronts you in a dangerous
situation you could always launch yourself at them, it takes them by surprise.
Then you could get out your lethal elbows!”

Grace
nodded. “I’ll have to remember that.” She picked up her tea. “Ugh! It’s cold.
How long have we been sitting her. Oh! Look at the time! We have to go.”

She
grabbed her coat, handbag and keys and raced out of the front door, followed by
Archie. Grace had the hammer necklace safely tucked inside her handbag. She
cursed Frankie as she saw the red light of the petrol gauge flashing the minute
she turned the key. After a quick visit to the petrol station Grace headed
towards The Sycamore Tree.

She
noticed Archie’s furrowed brow and asked him what was wrong.

“I
could have sworn I just saw Jessie’s work van at the petrol station. It’s a
smaller version of Gordon’s. I thought I saw Rob driving it.” He shook his
head. “I must be seeing things.”

Grace
asked Archie questions about his life as they drove along. He had a casual way
of talking about himself that made it easy to listen to him. Grace had a
fleeting thought about driving past the hotel and into the country. She could
listen to Archie for hours.

Too
soon, they arrived at the hotel. Archie lifted his chin and said, “Grace. Are
you ready?”

Grace
said, “I’m fine, it’s you I’m concerned about.”

Archie
looked at her. “I want this sorting out. If Gordon did kill me I want him to be
put away. I can’t forget the pain on Jessie’s face when he told her about my
death. How could a father put his daughter through such pain intentionally?”

They
made their way to the reception area of the hotel. Grace’s heart sank when she
saw that Ms Berry was at the desk. Didn’t she ever have a day off?

Grace
smiled politely. She saw the flicker of recognition in Ms Berry’s eyes, along
with a look of disappointment.

Ms
Berry spoke, “Ah, you’ve come back.” She gave an exaggerated look over Grace’s
shoulder. “Still on your own? No fiancé?”

Grace
wished for a second that Archie was real. Then she could link her arm through
his and give Ms Berry a satisfied in-your-face look. Grace kept her smile in
place. “I have an appointment at ten o’clock to see the honeymoon suite. You
booked it.”

Ms
Berry sighed as if disappointed with herself. She looked down at a book and
wrote something. Grace shot a sideways look at Archie. His grin cheered her up
immediately.

Ms
Berry made to move away from the desk. She said briskly, “Follow me.”

Grace
pressed her lips together. Bother! She wanted to go on her own. She could
hardly talk to Archie in front of Ms Berry.

As
if in answer to her thoughts the desk-phone rang. Ms Berry held a finger up to
Grace as if ordering her to keep still. Grace had to stop herself from rolling
her eyes at the woman’s rudeness.

Ms
Berry answered the phone in a curt manner. Her facial expression turned from
condescending to anger. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Ms Berry ended the call and
crashed the handset back in to the receiver. She looked at Grace. “I can’t take
you to the room, I have to be somewhere else. Can you come back another time?”

“No,”
Grace lied. “I can go on my own.”

“We
don’t allow that.” Ms Berry looked through Archie at something behind him,
raised her hand and loudly clicked her fingers. “Beth! Here! Now!”

The
maid that Grace had seen previously in the honeymoon suite scuttled over to
them, her face white.

Ms
Berry tutted. “Don’t look so worried, I’m not reporting you for anything today,
yet. Show this woman to the honeymoon suite. She’s supposedly thinking of
booking it at some point. Don’t just stand there!”

Beth
actually curtseyed and then ran over to Grace. Without looking at her, Beth
muttered, “This way, please.”

Grace
felt the icy glare of Ms Berry’s on her back as she, Archie and Beth walked
towards the lifts. 

Grace
remembered that Beth was the chattier of the two maids that she’d seen the
other day, the one more liable to gossip.

Would
Grace be able to get some information out of Beth?

Grace
soon got more than she bargained for.

Chapter 20

Grace
and Beth entered the lift silently, Archie at their side. As the lift began to
move Grace decided to break the ice.

“Wow!
I hope you don’t mind me saying anything about your boss, but that was an awful
way to talk to you!”

Beth
nodded and said, “Tell me about it, she talks to everyone as if they’re a piece
of dirt. I’m sorry she spoke to you like that, it’s not professional.”

Grace
waved a hand down over her clothes. “Might be because I’m not wearing designer
clothes.”

Beth
gave her a small smile. “Doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. Are you getting
married soon? Are you sure you want to get married here?” Beth’s hand shot up
and covered her mouth. She moved it down an inch. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be saying
stuff like that. It’s a nice place, but overpriced, in my opinion.”