The Death Planner (Storage Ghost Murders Book 6) (5 page)

Chapter
10

As
they drove towards the florist Grace tentatively brought up the subject of the
vision that they’d experienced the previous day. She asked if Jenny could
remember the couple she’d seen talking to each other, the couple that had upset
her.

Jenny
shook her head. “I can’t quite get them into focus, it’s like they’re shadows,
but I’m sure I know them. Do you think I’ll remember soon? Do you think we
should try going into another vision?”

“Perhaps.”
Following Jenny’s directions, Grace parked in a small car park opposite a
parade of shops.

Jenny
floated out of Grace’s car. Grace opened the door and followed Jenny across the
road towards the parade of shops.

Jenny
called out, “The florist is right in the middle, next to the sandwich shop.”

Grace
stood in front of the shops and looked left and right. Despite it being Sunday,
some of the shops were open. Grace checked that no one was close enough to hear
her talking before she spoke. “Where exactly? I can’t see a florist.”

Jenny
floated off the ground and shot from one side of the parade to the other. She
came back to Grace, her face twisted in anguish. “It’s gone! The florist shop
has gone! What do we do now? We have to find Elsa!”

Grace
merely nodded. She couldn’t talk to Jenny as a couple of women were walking
along the pavement towards her. Grace took her phone out and pretended to have
a phone conversation. “Jenny, it’s okay. We’ll find her, somehow. I’m heading
back to my car now. Bye.”

Jenny
came to Grace’s side and said, “Where will we look first? Shall we try the
Internet again?”

Grace
crossed the road and headed back to the car park. Something caught her eye at
the rear of the car park. There was no one nearby so Grace said, “Jenny, look
over there. Can you see that van at the back? It looks like a mobile florist’s.
Do you think…?”
Jenny didn’t hesitate. She whizzed over to the van, shooting high above the
parked vehicles. She returned a minute later with a big smile on her face.
“It’s Elsa! It’s my Elsa! Come on, Grace!” Jenny flew back towards the van.

Grace
wished she had the power of flight as she made her way through the parked
vehicles. What was she even going to say to Elsa? She didn’t like to tell
people that she could see ghosts. People acted in different ways to that
information. Most people thought she was mad.

Grace
approached the van. Elsa was standing next to a display of flowers. The flowers
were arranged in buckets on the ground. There were some arrangements hanging
from baskets hooked around the van. Grace felt as if she had just stepped into
a beautiful garden. Despite the smell of nearby cars, Grace caught the floral
aroma of the plants in front of her. It instantly made her smile.

“Hello,
can I help you?” Elsa asked with a big smile on her face. The smile matched the
one that her deceased sister was also wearing. Jenny stood at Elsa’s side, love
shining in her eyes. Grace felt a small pang as she looked at them both. In the
photograph that she’d seen on the Internet, Jenny had looked older than Elsa.
Now, it was the other way round. Grace noticed that Elsa looked tired. She
quickly took in the hole in her oversized jumper, and the dirt on her scruffy
boots.

Grace
stepped closer. “Hello there. I almost didn’t spot you at the back here. I’m
looking for some flowers for my brother. Well, for my brother to give to his
new girlfriend.” Grace rolled her eyes and added, “He’s only just met her but he
wants to impress her. He was thinking of roses but I’m not sure about his
choice.”

Elsa
continued to smile. “Roses are lovely but I’ve got something better.” She then
talked about different flowers and how their fragrance would last longer. Grace
nodded but it was hard to pay attention when Jenny was talking at the same
time.

“Grace,
ask her why she didn’t keep the website running. Ask her where all the money
went, has she put it somewhere safe? Grace! Look at her clothes! Ask her why
she’s dressed like that!”

Grace
gave a small shake of her head. She could hardly ask Elsa those questions all
at once. Grace picked another question. “I used to go to the florist shop over
the road but I see it’s a shoe shop now. When did the florist shop close down?”

Elsa’s
smile faltered slightly. “About four years ago. I used to work there, but I
like working from my van better.”

Jenny
flew to Elsa’s other side. “How can she like working in this van? She’s lying!
She’s covering something up!”

Elsa
offered Grace a variety of bouquets. They all looked beautiful. Grace bought
one bouquet for Frankie and one for herself as a treat. She looked at the
hanging baskets and was tempted to buy one of those too.

Grace
paid Elsa and then asked her another question. “Do you ever do work for
weddings and that sort of thing? I’ve got a party coming up soon and I’d love
to have some flower arrangements there.”

Elsa’s
hand shook as she gave Grace her change. “No. I don’t do things like that.”

“Do
you know anyone who might do it?” Grace forced a laugh. She hated lying to Elsa
but she didn’t have a choice at the moment. “It’s taking me forever to organise
the party! I could do with someone to sort it all out for me, like a party
planner or something. Do you know anyone like that?”

Elsa
pressed her lips together and shook her head. Grace saw the sheen of tears
welling up in her eyes. Grace pulled the bouquets closer and said, “Those
hanging baskets look wonderful. Could I take that one at the end, the one with
those blue and purple flowers flowing out? Thank you.”

Elsa
took down the basket and gave Grace instructions on how to care for it. Grace
made small talk about flowers and the problems she had in her small garden.
Elsa brightened up and was happy to give Grace advice on slugs and other
uninvited creatures.

Grace
thanked her and asked if Elsa had a business card. Elsa shook her head and
said, “No, I’m not organised enough for that. Not like …” She blinked and
quickly looked away.

Grace
said, “Well, I know where to find you. Thank you again for your help, it’s been
lovely to meet you.”

Elsa
turned back and gave Grace a small smile. It was full of sadness and Grace
hated to leave her, but she had to. She headed back to her car, her arms full
of scented flowers.

Jenny
flew at Grace’s side. “Don’t leave her! She looks so sad! Find out what’s
happened to her! Please!”

Grace
opened the boot of her car and carefully placed the flowers inside. She turned
to Jenny and said, “It’s obvious that she doesn’t want to talk about her past.
I will speak to her some more, just not at the moment.”

Jenny
twisted her hands together. “When will you talk to her? You heard what Pearl
said about another murder!”

Grace
shot a look back towards the van. “Jenny, was Elsa at the last wedding? The one
where you died?”

Jenny
nodded. “Why?”

“She
might have seen something, or someone.” Grace didn’t add that Elsa could be a
suspect. Jenny didn’t need to hear that. “I’ll speak to Elsa again soon, very
soon.” A plan was forming in Grace’s head. All she had to do now was to find
the courage to proceed with her plan.

Chapter
11

Pearl
was pacing up and down the kitchen floor when Grace and Jenny returned to the
shop.

“Pearl,
are you okay? You look agitated,” Grace said. She laid the flowers for Frankie
on the kitchen table.

Pearl
gestured towards the ceiling. “Your brother! Humph! He’s driving me mad. He’s
been on the phone ages with that bit of fluff he’s calling his girlfriend! You
should hear what he’s been saying! Going on about his feelings and how he can’t
believe his luck in finding her. Pah! What a load of tripe! It turned my
stomach listening to him gushing on and on.”

Grace’s
mouth twitched but she didn’t let her smile escape. “You didn’t have to listen
to him. You could have disappeared.”

“What?
And miss what he was saying? No chance.” Pearl let out a cackle of a laugh. “He
went into great detail about what they had done last night. Do you want to know
what he said?”

Grace
held a hand up. “I certainly do not! What time is he going out again?”

Frankie
walked into the kitchen, his phone clamped to his ear. If he noticed Grace
apparently talking to herself he didn’t say anything. Grace could see that his
attention was elsewhere. He crooned into the phone, “Beth, babe, I can’t wait
to see you either. I’m on my way.” He laughed. “No, you say bye first.” Another
laugh. “No, you.”

He
walked towards the flowers, picked them up and left the kitchen without a look
or a word for Grace.

Grace
folded her arms and gave him a hard stare hoping that he would catch her
annoyed look.

Pearl
whooshed over to Frankie’s retreating back and yelled, “You selfish idiot!
Grace! Throw something at him! Quick!”

Grace
turned away from her brother as he walked through the door. Pearl came to her
side and immediately caught her sad look. “What’s wrong? Don’t let him get to
you. You know how thoughtless he is.”

Grace
waved a hand at Pearl, annoyed with herself for suddenly becoming emotional.
“It’s not that, Pearl. What if this thing between Frankie and Beth is real?
What if he moves out? What if they get married? What if they don’t want
anything to do with me?” Grace’s voice became louder.

“There,
there, lass. Calm down. This romance of Frankie’s could fizzle out in a day.
What’s really going on, Grace?”

Grace
wiped her eyes. “I think I’m scared of being on my own. I’ve never been on my own
before. There was always Mum and Dad. And Frankie of course. I’ve had a few
boyfriends but nothing serious. Do you think I should start looking for
someone, someone to settle down with?”

“No,
I bloody don’t!” Pearl exploded. “What’s wrong with being on your own? You can
do what you want, when you want! Don’t think you have to be with someone just
because Frankie has a girlfriend. Do you really want a man in your life at the
moment?”

Grace
thought about Pearl’s question. Then she remembered how relaxed she’d felt at
home, about how she could eat what she wanted, and watch what she wanted on the
telly. She smiled at Pearl and said, “Why are you so wise?”

“I
don’t know, I just am,” Pearl replied. She tapped Grace on the arm. “The right
person will come along at the right time. And it’ll be someone who accepts your
gift. Now, forget about idiot-boy upstairs. Did you find Elsa?” Pearl looked
around the kitchen. “Where’s Jenny? I could have sworn I saw her come in with
you.”

Grace
heard a mumbling coming from the corner of the kitchen. She walked over and saw
Jenny crouched on the floor. Jenny was fixated on her clipboard and was
scribbling furiously.

Pearl
cocked her head. “What’s she going on about?”

Grace
lowered herself next to Jenny and listened. She frowned and looked back at
Pearl. “She’s going on about flowers, food and guests. Pearl, what’s wrong with
her?”

Pearl
looked closer at Jenny. “She’s covering something up. She knows something but
her mind is protecting her, her memories won’t come forward.”

Grace
gently called Jenny’s name. Jenny didn’t respond, she kept scribbling on her
board and muttering to herself.

Grace
stood up. “I’d better get on with my investigations.” She told Pearl what they
had found out about Elsa, and what Grace intended to do next.

Pearl
nodded. “I think that’s the only thing you can do. You’d better leave young
Jenny with me, she’s not going to be any use to you at the moment.”

Grace
returned the headset to the cleaning cupboard. She called up the stairs to
Frankie and told him she was going. She added that he was more than welcome for
the flowers. Frankie shouted something that sounded like a goodbye. Grace
realised she wasn’t going to get a thank you from him any time soon.

She
left the shop and drove back to the car park where Elsa’s flower van was. She’d
noted the closing times written on a board at the side of the van earlier. It
was nearly time for Elsa to close up now.

Grace
was going to follow Elsa to her home, knock on her door and tell Elsa that she
was helping her dead sister find out who had murdered her. She had a feeling
that Elsa would accept the fact that Grace could see ghosts.

It
was a simple plan. What could go wrong?

Chapter
12

Grace
pulled into the car park for the second time that day. Elsa’s van was still there
and Grace could just about make out some movement near the van. She could
really do with a pair of binoculars if she was going to start spying on people.

No
need. She could use the zoom facility on her phone. Grace took her phone out
and aimed it towards Elsa. The zoom facility was adequate. Grace saw Elsa
packing up the van whilst talking to someone on her phone. If Grace was a spy,
or a professional private detective, she could have placed a listening device
on Elsa’s van on her earlier visit.

Grace
shook her head at her own thoughts. What kind of person was she turning into?
But there again, she was doing this to help Jenny, not because she was a busybody
who couldn’t mind her own business.

Grace
put her phone down as Elsa climbed into the van and drove out of the car park.
Grace slowly followed her, allowing another car to come between her and the
flower van.

Grace
drove behind Elsa’s van for the next twenty minutes. They headed towards a less
well-to-do part of town and Elsa struggled to get her van up some of the narrow
streets.

Elsa
parked up outside a mid-terraced house and jumped out of her van. Even before
she headed into a house, Grace could guess which one belonged to Elsa. The
small front yard was full of flowers in all the colours imaginable. Hanging
baskets adorned the windows and front door. Pots stood proudly on the three
stone steps that Elsa now walked up.

Grace
parked a short distance from the house and considered her next move. She was
taking a chance on telling Elsa that she could see ghosts, and that of her
deceased sister in particular. Grace was counting on Elsa to understand and
accept this. She was basing this on the short conversation that she’d had with
Elsa earlier. Grace had learnt to trust her instincts. Sometimes they were
wrong but Grace had to just go ahead and take action anyway.

She
opened the car door and was about to step out when something stopped her. There
was a movement outside Elsa’s house.

An
expensive-looking car had parked right outside and a middle-aged man was
getting out. Grace quickly whipped her phone out and zoomed in on him. He’d
already turned away from Grace’s view and was heading up the steps towards
Elsa’s front door. Some instinct told Grace to take photographs. She took the
first one as the mystery man raised his left hand to knock on the door. Grace
immediately noticed his wedding band. The door was flung open and Elsa’s happy
face looked out at the man. She opened her arms and leaned in for a kiss. The
man roughly shoved her out of the way and stepped into the house, closing the
door behind him.

Grace
put her phone down. She’d taken photos throughout the short exchange. She’d
show them to Jenny later and see if she recognised the man, albeit from the
back of his head.

It
was obvious that Elsa had been pleased to see her visitor, but he hadn’t been
pleased with her reaction. Why was that? The man was married. He couldn’t be
Elsa’s husband because he had knocked on the door. Was Elsa having an affair
with him? That could explain why he didn’t want a public display of affection.
Grace looked up and down the road to see if anyone would have seen their
greeting anyway. No. There was only one person spying on them, and that was
her.

Grace
waited ten more minutes to see if the man left. He didn’t. Grace sighed. She
couldn’t approach Elsa now, she’d rather speak to her on her own.

Grace’s
phone beeped. There was a text message from Beth. Grace was so lost in her
thoughts that she couldn’t think who Beth was.

Then
she remembered. Beth was Frankie’s very new girlfriend. Why was she sending
Grace a text? And how had she got hold of Grace’s number?

Grace
tried to feel indignant at this invasion of privacy, fancy interrupting her
when she was spying on someone! She was prepared to feel angry at Beth’s
forwardness and was already planning a curt reply, then she read the text:

‘Hi
Grace, this is Beth. I hope you don’t mind me contacting you! Frankie gave me
your number. I wanted to say thank you for the beautiful flowers, they smell
amazing. Frankie said he’d bought them but I knew a woman with good taste must
have got them (men are useless at buying flowers). I hope we get to meet soon,
Frankie has told me so much about you. Have a great evening.’

Grace
sniffed. She supposed that was nice of her to send a text. She wasn’t sure how
she felt about this stranger who had so suddenly entered their lives. Grace
looked through the windscreen. Frankie deserved some happiness, he’d been
through as much sadness as she had. She shouldn’t judge Beth, she hadn’t even
met the woman yet.

Grace
sent a friendly reply and wished Beth a great evening too. She didn’t put any
kisses at the end of the text, there was no need to go overboard.

Grace
looked towards Elsa’s house. The bedroom curtains were now drawn. There was no
point hanging around. Grace started up her car and drove away.

When
Grace arrived home she put the kettle on and put a ready meal in the oven. She
opened up her laptop and began to search for other party organisers in the
area. She was hoping to find someone who knew Jenny. There were quite a few
companies. Grace checked each site. Some had been in business for over five
years. Could one of these business be run by a rival of Jenny’s? That was a
possibility. Grace would mention the older businesses to Jenny and see if she
recognised any of them.

Grace
switched off her laptop and then settled down with her hot lasagne.

So,
there was now a mystery man on the scene. Was he somehow involved in Jenny’s
murder? There was the mystery couple at the wedding, the couple who had upset Jenny
for some reason. And there was the identity of Jenny’s best friend to uncover,
the one who had given her the headset.

Too
many mysteries. Grace switched the TV on and tried to take her mind off the
mysteries by watching a recorded episode of Morse. How long would it be before
Morse asked Lewis to buy him a drink? Grace smiled ten minutes later when the
duo headed into a country pub. Morse always solved his mysteries, and Grace was
confident that she would solve this one.

A
prickly thought jumped into her mind - she had to solve it soon, before someone
else was murdered.