The Death Planner (Storage Ghost Murders Book 6) (3 page)

Chapter
5

The
ghost of an elderly woman appeared at the far side of the shop. She had short,
curly grey hair and was wearing a floral housecoat over a long blue dress. She
was looking towards a wall and yelling that someone should clear off and leave
her alone.

Grace
smiled and walked over to the ghost. “Hi, Pearl. Who are you swearing at?”

Pearl
was a ghost that was attached to the shop. Pearl had been able to help ghosts
when she was alive and had provided invaluable help to Grace over the last year.
Pearl had a heart of gold and a mouth as filthy as a sewer. Grace loved her.

Pearl
waved her hand towards the wall. “It’s these lot! They won’t leave me alone.
Pestering me day and night about their problems!” She looked back at the wall
and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t care if you do think it’s urgent! You’ll
have to wait your turn!”

“Who
are you talking to?” Grace narrowed her eyes. “I can’t see anyone.”

“Good!
It’s going to stay that way. Those feeble-minded ghosts think they can just
appear and ask for help whenever they feel like it. I’ve told them that you’re
busy and that they’ll have to wait.” She ended this with a tut and a shake of
her head.

“How
many ghosts are there that need my help?”

“Too
many. And take that soft look off your face. They don’t need urgent help, it’s
just stuff that they should have sorted out before they died.”

“But
I’d like to help them,” Grace pointed out.

“You
don’t have time, Grace. You’ve already got a murdered ghost to deal with. I saw
her come into the shop with you. There’s something urgent about that ghost. I
can’t quite put my finger on it but I know that if we don’t find out who
murdered her soon then something terrible is going to happen.” Pearl’s head
snapped back to the wall. She let out a stream of words that made Grace’s ears
turn red. Talk about turning the air fifty shades of blue. When she’d finished,
Pearl clapped her hands together and said, “Right, let’s get on with it. I hope
she’s not one of those ghosts who keeps crying all the time, I can’t do with
them.”

Grace
nodded and rubbed her ears, they still felt warm. She turned towards the
kitchen and told Pearl what she knew so far about Jenny. Grace finished with,
“I hope she is attached to the box in the kitchen and hasn’t left the shop.”

Pearl
nodded. “She’s still here. I can still feel her presence.”

Grace
walked into the kitchen and saw Jenny sitting at the kitchen table, her
clipboard in her hand. She smiled when Grace came in and said, “I think you
need a better system for your shop. You could put all the bric-a-brac at one
side and then the linens and clothes on the other. I could make a plan for you
if you like.” She tapped her clipboard. “I’ve already written something down.”

Grace
sat opposite Jenny and introduced her to Pearl.

Pearl
sat next to Jenny and looked towards her clipboard. “Frankie will never go for
a structured plan, it’s too organised. Is that what you used to do when you
were alive? Organise people?”

Jenny
put the clipboard down and smiled. “Sort of. I organise parties and events. I
love it!” She beamed at them. Her smile suddenly dropped. “Oh. I must remember
to talk in the past tense. I keep forgetting that I’m dead.” She looked at
Pearl. “How long have you been dead?”

Grace
moved forward in her chair a fraction. Pearl never gave out information about
herself.

Pearl
let out a gruff laugh. “None of your business. We’re not here to talk about me.
What do you mean, you organise parties and stuff? How hard is it to organise a
party? Get some booze and cake, throw a few sandwiches together and you’re
done.”

Jenny
smiled again. “You’d be surprised how many people do pay for party planners. I
have a long waiting list.” Her smile faltered. “I had a long waiting list.”

Grace
saw Jenny’s shoulders sag. She said, “Jenny, tell us more about your business.
When did you start it? Where were you based?”

Jenny
sat up a bit straighter. “I suppose I started when I was young. I loved having
my own birthday parties. But it wasn’t the parties themselves. It was the
organising of them. Mum used to help me make special invitations, handmade ones
for each of my friends. We’d plan the menu, I insisted on writing it out. I
made place cards for my friends, planned the activities that we’d do, and even
the games that we’d play.” She put her arms around herself. “I loved it! I used
to plan parties for my toys too. They had birthdays every week. Of course, they
couldn’t eat the food that I’d prepared so me and Mum had to eat it.”

“That
sounds like my sort of party,” Pearl said with a smile.

Jenny
carried on, “My friends often asked me to organise parties for them. As they
got older the venues changed from their homes to halls and such like. I made
some good contacts with local suppliers of all the things that parties needed.
Word spread and I was soon organising other kinds of celebrations like wedding
anniversaries and engagements.” She looked off into the distance. “I’ll never
forget the first wedding reception that I organised. I was sick with nerves
throughout it, I felt sure that something would go wrong and that I’d ruin the
special day for the couple.” She looked back at them. “But it was wonderful.
Everything went perfectly. And I got more work because of it.”

“It
sounds like it was the perfect job for you,” Grace said. Her thoughts flitted
to her own thirtieth birthday. Her eyes welled up and she blinked away the
tears that threatened to escape. Her parents had died on her thirtieth
birthday. Dad had been driving her car towards a restaurant when he’d crashed.
She turned her attention back to Jenny. “Tell us more about your job. Were you
at an event when you were … murdered?”

Jenny
lowered her head. “I was. I think it was at a wedding.” She looked up, her brow
wrinkled. “I can’t remember much about it. Grace, how are you going to help me
if I can’t remember much about my death?”

Grace
pulled the box from the storage locker towards her and tipped the contents on
to the table. “I think you’re attached to one of the items in this box. If I
can find out what it is then I might be able to take you into a vision.”

“Pardon?”
Jenny asked.

“When
I’ve helped ghosts before we’ve touched the item that they’re attached to at
the same time. When that happens we’re taken into a vision of the past, it’s
usually something that will help me figure out who killed them.”

Grace
looked at the items on the table. There were four folders full of paperwork.
There were a few pens and pencils, a business card and a clipboard. The
clipboard seemed to be the same one that Jenny had been using earlier. Grace
thought for a second that Jenny might be attached to that but then she saw
something else.

Grace
held up the headset, it was identical to the one that Jenny was wearing. “I
think you might be attached to this.”

Pearl
pointed towards it. “What’s that lead for?”

Jenny
said, “It used to go to my battery pack and receiver. I know it’s old-fashioned
but this headset means a lot to me. A special friend gave it to me.”

Pearl
nodded. “You told Grace this lead was wrapped around your neck, is that right?”

Jenny
looked down at the table and gave her a small nod.

Pearl
turned her attention to Grace. “This headset could be the murder weapon, you’d
better be careful with it, there could be incriminating fingerprints on it.”

Jenny
bolted upright. “Gloves! The killer was wearing gloves! I just had a memory of
something soft against my neck, like some sort of material.”

Pearl
sighed. “These murderers never make it easy for us, selfish pigs.”

Still
holding the headset, Grace stood up and said, “I’ll take this outside. If you
are attached to it then you’ll come with me.” She opened the kitchen door and
walked out into the yard. She waited.

Jenny
appeared at her side within seconds and said, “Now what?”

“Now
we go into a vision of your past.”

Jenny
shivered. “I don’t like the sound of that. I’m scared. What if we see the face
of the murderer?”

“That
would be a good thing. Jenny, the vision is not real. People can’t see us or
hurt us. It might upset you but I’ll be right at your side. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Pearl
shouted at them from the open doorway. “Come back inside! If you’re going into
a vision I want to be part of it too!”

Jenny’s
face lit up. “Is Pearl coming with us too? I’d like that.”

Grace
walked towards the kitchen door. “She can’t come into the vision but she can
see us inside it.”

Pearl
gave them a gleeful smile as they came back into the kitchen. She said, “It’s
like watching the telly. Get on with it then!”

Grace
held the headset out towards Jenny. “Ready?”

Jenny
replied, “Ready.” She moved her hand towards the headset. Her hand floated
through it but it was all that was needed.

The
kitchen around them began to fade.

Chapter
6

Grace
looked at their new surroundings. She recognised the kind of room that they
were now in. She turned to Jenny and said, “Is this your university accommodation?”

Jenny’s
eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth was hanging open. Grace repeated her
question. Jenny pulled herself together. “Yes, this was where I stayed in my
first year. How can this be happening?”

Grace
answered, “I’ve no idea. Look, the door’s opening.” She heard Jenny’s gasp as a
younger version of herself ran into the room clutching a box.

The
Jenny at Grace’s side said, “Oh! I remember this!” She shook her head. “Look
how young I am! Look how skinny my legs are!”

They
watched as the Jenny in the vision took something out of the box. She threw the
empty box to one side and ran over to the mirror.

Grace
pointed. “It’s your headset, the one that you’re wearing now.” She looked down
at her own hand. “And the one that I’m holding. This feels strange.”

Ghost
Jenny took a few steps forward. “I’d just been given it as a present by my best
friend. She knew I wanted to start my own business once I left university.”

“What’s
your friend’s name?” Grace asked.

She
never got an answer. Ghost Jenny moved even closer to her younger self.

Young
Jenny put the headset on and spoke, “Yes, Mrs Fortescue, the champagne has been
served. Of course I can organise a helicopter, Mr Brownly-Smith. The fireworks
have been set to go off to the tune of YMCA, Ms Jazzy-Shoes.”

Ghost
Jenny and young Jenny laughed at the same time and in the same manner. It was a
lovely sound but it sent shivers down Grace’s spine. She didn’t know how she
would react if she ever came across a younger version of herself, she hoped
she’d never have to.

A
female voice called out from the open door, “Jenny! What are you doing?”

Young
Jenny giggled and turned towards the owner of the voice. “I’m practising!
Thanks again for this headset, it’s fabulous. Let me practise on you.” She cleared
her throat. “Would you like twenty doves released when your wedding guests
arrive, Ms …”

Before
young Jenny could say the rest of her friend’s name the university room
disappeared. It was replaced by the inside of a ballroom.

Ghost
Jenny moved back to Grace’s side and said, “What happened? Where did I go?”

Grace
frowned. “I think we saw all that we needed to. Do you recognise this place? It
seems like there’s a wedding party going on.”

Jenny
looked around the room, taking in the ceiling and furnishings. “I’ve used this
venue a few times. It’s the King James’ Hotel, it’s about five miles outside of
Leeds. Is there a younger version of me somewhere?” She looked left and right.

Grace
did the same. “I think I’ve spotted you at the far side of the room, near the
bar.” Grace paused as she noticed something else.

Ghost
Jenny was already walking towards the bar. Grace followed her. Jenny’s
attention was caught by something near the door of the ballroom. Her head
cocked to one side and she said, “Those two over there, it looks like … no, it
can’t be. Why would they be talking to each other?”

Grace
looked towards the door. There was more than one couple in conversation. “Who?
Where? Who are you talking about?” She suddenly gasped as the Jenny from the
vision ran through her body. It didn’t hurt but it gave her a shock.

Ghost
Jenny looked towards the other Jenny. “There I am! Where am I going? Grace, we
need to follow her.”

Ghost
Jenny chased after vision Jenny before Grace could voice her warning. Grace ran
after both of them as they left the ballroom and headed down a hallway. They
turned left into a cloakroom. Grace sped after them. “Jenny! Stop! I have to
tell you something! It’s urgent!”

Ghost
Jenny didn’t stop. She followed vision Jenny into the cloakroom. Grace rushed
through the closed doors as if they were made of fog. She called out again,
“Jenny! Stop!”

Ghost
Jenny finally stopped at a rack of coats. “What is it? We can’t stop now. I
want to find myself.” She frowned. “That sounds peculiar but you know what I
mean.”

Grace
caught her breath. “I want to find the other Jenny too but I need to prepare
you.”

“Prepare
me for what?”

“The
Jenny that we’ve just seen is wearing the same clothes as you.”

“Yes,
I know. I have a few business suits, they’re all very similar.”

Grace
shook her head. “You might not have noticed but you’ve got a bit of hair
sticking up by your left ear.”

Jenny’s
hand flew up to her left ear. She laughed and said, “Oh, yes. I’d been to a new
hairdresser the day before and she’d cut it too short. I couldn’t get it to sit
right that morning.” Her laugh faded. She looked towards the rack of coats
again.

Grace
said, “The version of yourself, that you followed in here, has the same bit of
hair sticking up.” She paused to let this information sink in. “Which means
that you died on this day that we’re in now. You look exactly like the Jenny in
this vision.”

Jenny’s
legs gave way. Grace automatically reached out to her but her hands swept right
through Jenny’s arms. Jenny collapsed to the floor. “I don’t understand. Why
would someone kill me at a wedding?”

Grace
knelt at Jenny’s side. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Both
heads turned as the door to the cloakroom opened.

Jenny
let out a whimper. “It’s the killer! I can feel it! Grace, I’m scared!”

Grace
looked at the door as it slowly opened. She stood up, she needed to get a good
look at whoever was coming in. She took a step towards the door as it opened
more.

The
room suddenly tilted and Grace was thrown forward. Someone grabbed her arm and
started shaking her.

“Grace!
Grace! Snap out of it!” Frankie shook her back and forth.

Grace
quickly took in where she was - back in the kitchen. She tried to push
Frankie’s hand off her arm.

Frankie
was having none of it. “Grace, what the hell were you doing just then?”

“What
do you mean?” Grace asked quietly. What exactly had Frankie witnessed?

Frankie
released her arm and rubbed his forehead. “I came walking in here, calling your
name out, and I find you standing here with a frozen look on your face! Have
you had some sort of seizure? Shall I phone the doctor?”

Grace
took in his scared look and immediately felt a rush of guilt. She’d suffered a
mental breakdown after the death of their parents and Frankie had been the one
to care for her. He probably thought she was having another breakdown. She
pasted a bright smile on her face and said, “I was daydreaming, that’s all.”
She quickly scanned the room. There were no ghosts anywhere.

Frankie
pulled a chair out and collapsed into it. “Bloody hell, Grace. You scared me
half to death. Can you do something different with your face when you’re
daydreaming in future? And who were you talking to?”

“I
was talking to myself. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Frankie
indicated towards the opposite chair. “Sit down, we need to talk.”

Grace
gingerly sat down. Was he going to insist on calling a doctor? How long had he
been standing there and watching her?