Read 2 A Different Shade Of Death Online
Authors: Gillian Larkin
Chapter 24
Grace
looked down at Amy, she was struggling to breath. “No! She can’t die!”
Charlie
swore and then said, “If that old woman can do it, so can I. Shift out of the
way.”
“What
are you going to do?” Grace asked as she moved to one side. “Charlie! What are
you doing? This isn’t time for kissing! Get away from her.”
Charlie
looked up at Grace and gave her an annoyed look. “I’m trying to absorb her
pain, like Pearl did. Shut up, will you, I’m trying to concentrate.”
Grace
looked on helplessly as Charlie bent over Amy. Could he really absorb the pain?
He didn’t look as if he knew what he was doing.
She
looked up towards the library door. What was that noise, was it the main door
opening? Was the ambulance here already? Grace heard footsteps and shouted out,
“In here! In the library.”
She
turned back to Charlie. Her heart almost stopped. Charlie was covered in green lines,
like an old painting that had cracked with age. He sat back on his heels, his
face contorted with pain. His clenched fists were held to his chest.
“Charlie!”
Grace moved forward.
“No!”
he screamed. “Don’t touch me!”
The
green cracks widened. What was happening to him? Was he fracturing somehow?
Charlie
looked up to the ceiling and let out an anguished cry. His head dropped and he
slumped to the ground. Grace leant over him. He muttered, “Amy? How is she?”
Grace
looked at Amy. Her colour had returned and her breathing sounded steadier. “I
think she’s okay. What about you?”
Charlie
smiled and rolled onto his back. He lay next to his wife. He kissed her on the
cheek and said, “Goodbye, my Amy, I’m sorry I was such an idiot.”
The
green cracks closed up. A white halo began to appear around him. He looked at
Grace. “I feel so peaceful. I’ve never felt like this before, it’s great! I
think I’m going, Grace. I think it’s time for me to go. Don’t cry, I don’t
deserve your tears.”
“I’m
not crying. Wait! Don’t you dare go!” Grace blinked as the white light around
Charlie increased. It flickered and then it was gone, taking Charlie with it.
Amy
stirred, her eyes open. “What happened to me? Where am I? Charlie? I thought I
heard Charlie.”
Grace
helped her into a sitting position. She heard footsteps behind. She turned her head
and said, “Thank you for coming so quickly.” Her voice faltered as she saw who
was standing there.
Jim
gave her a cold look and said, “That’s okay, it wasn’t far.”
“You!
You leave us alone!” Grace said. “You nearly killed us! If you try it again I’m
going to hit you with something. Don’t come any nearer!”
Jim
said calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are you doing here?”
“What?”
Grace shouted. “What? Have you forgotten what you just did? You’re a mad man!”
Emily
Heath stepped out from behind her son. She frowned. “Grace? What are you doing
here?”
Grace
looked from one to the other. What was going on? She helped Amy to her feet and
placed her in a nearby chair. She turned to Emily and said, “Your son tried to
kill us. In that room behind the library. He killed Charlie Ford.”
“Don’t
be silly, there isn’t a room behind the library, I would know if there was,”
Emily said.
Grace
looked towards the door to the green room. So did Jim. The door was slightly
open. Jim made a swift move towards it. He was going to close it!
“Oh
no you don’t” Grace picked up a paperweight from the desk she was standing next
to. With all her strength she threw it at Jim. He wasn’t that far away and the
paperweight caught him on the back of his legs. It was enough to bring him to
his knees. Grace ran over to the green room door and pulled it wide open. “Emily,
here! Can you see it?”
Emily’s
hand flew to her chest. “I can but I don’t understand. Oh! James, is it really
true? Did you really kill Charlie?”
Grace
looked down at Jim. She was glad Emily couldn’t see the vicious look on his
face. He snarled, “He deserved it. So did that snotty cow over there!”
Emily
walked over to them, still looking confused. “I don’t understand any of this.
James came home and told me that there had been a mistake with the house, that
it still belonged to us. He said I had to come back. What’s in that room?
What’s that smell?”
Jim
stood up. He glared at Grace and hissed, “You should be dead!”
“James!”
Emily snapped. She was smaller than her son but he withered under her stare.
“You are going to tell me everything! Starting with that room.”
“He
can tell me too.” Ted walked into the room. “I saw you both heading in to the
house and wondered what was going on. There’s an ambulance and police car
outside. Is that Amy Ford? What’s up with her?”
Grace
looked from one person to another. She knew she should stay and tell Emily and
Ted what had happened but she was desperate to get home to Frankie. If Charlie
had passed away for good, what did that mean for Frankie?
Grace
pushed past Ted. “I really have to go. Jim knows everything, I’d stay out of
that room, there’s arsenic floating around. I have to go, sorry.”
Ted
caught her arm. “You can’t leave, you have to speak to the police!”
Grace
pushed Ted’s hand away. “I have to go! The police can talk to me later, I’ll be
at the shop.”
“Let
her go,” Emily said. “James is going to tell us everything. Grace, what’s wrong
with Amy? I’ll have to tell the paramedics so they can treat her.”
“Arsenic
poisoning,” Grace replied.
She
ran out of the room and straight into a policeman. “They’re all in there,” she
said and indicated towards the library.
“Just
a minute, miss ...” the policeman began.
Grace
broke into a run down the hall, throwing a “Sorry!” behind her.
Ignoring
the commotion of ambulances and police cars out on the road, she jumped into
the van and drove back to the shop as quickly as her shaking hands and legs
would allow.
Chapter 25
Grace
raced into Frankie’s room. His bed was empty. Pearl had her back to Grace, her
shoulders were shaking.
“Frankie?
Pearl? Frankie! No!”
Pearl
jumped and turned around. “Bloody good job I’m dead, you nearly gave me a heart
attack! What’s your wailing for?”
Grace
pointed at the bed. “Frankie?” was all she could mutter.
Pearl
stood up. “What about him? He’s in the toilet, again. Making a right stink.”
Grace
took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “Is he all right? I saw your
shoulders shaking, I thought you were crying.”
Pearl
jerked her thumb towards where she’d been sitting. Frankie’s laptop was open.
“That Laurel and Hardy! Gets me every time. I wasn’t crying, I was laughing.
Although I will burst into tears if I have to look after your smelly brother
much longer. Come on, let’s go downstairs.”
“Are
you sure he’s okay?”
“Apart
from a sore bum? Yes, he’s fine.”
Pearl
headed out of the room and towards the stairs. Grace followed her. She paused
outside the door of the upstairs toilet. She called out, “Frankie? Are you
okay?”
“Course
I’m okay! Leave me alone, can’t I even have any peace and quiet from you in
here? Clear off!”
Grace
smiled. He was all right.
Pearl
was in the kitchen. When Grace came in Pearl sighed and said, “It’s at times
like this that I wish I was still alive. You look in desperate need of a cuppa
but you’ll have to make it yourself. Tell me everything, every little detail.”
Grace
moved towards the kettle. Her headache was receding. Should she have stayed to
be checked out by a paramedic? She’d think about that later, she couldn’t face
going back to Heathville at the moment.
Grace
made a cup of tea and told Pearl everything.
Pearl
gave a low whistle. “Arsenic wallpaper, I’ve never come across that before. I’m
glad that you got out of that room. Did you imagine the condom around you?”
“I
didn’t, but I don’t think it would have helped.”
Pearl’s
mouth twisted as if she was thinking of something. “We’ll have to think of
something, some way to protect you from these sort of things. Sometimes you
need protection from the ghosts themselves. Grace? What’s wrong?”
Grace
looked down at her tea. “Pearl, I was so scared, I couldn’t think straight. I
thought I was going to die. I can’t do this.”
“You
can!” Pearl shot back. “I know you can, you don’t know your own strengths. You
threw that paperweight at Jim without hesitating, didn’t you?”
Grace
looked up, her cheeks red. “I couldn’t let him get away with it! He was going
to close the door, I didn’t know if I would have been able to open it again. I
would have looked like a liar in front of Emily.”
“Amy
would be dead now if it wasn’t for you. I know she sounds like a piece of scum
with her dodgy businesses but you still saved her life. Remember that, Grace,
you are helping people. And if you did die ...”
Grace’s
mouth lifted slightly. “I was just starting to feel better. Yes, if I did die?”
Pearl
grinned at her. “You could live here with me and we could haunt your brother!”
Grace
laughed. “That does sound good, I’ll bear that in mind for next time.”
“Will
there be a next time?” Pearl asked.
Grace
nodded. “Yes. I’ve no idea what I’m doing but I feel this is something that I
have to do.”
“That’s
my girl, I’m proud of you,” Pearl said. “Now don’t start crying again! You’re
supposed to be toughening up!”
Grace
smiled through her tears. “I’m glad you’re here, Pearl. I think I’d go mad if I
didn’t have you to talk to.”
A
wicked gleam came into Pearl’s eyes. “But am I really here? Or have you gone
mad already?”
Grace
laughed again. “I don’t care! As long as you’re here I can deal with anything.
Bring on the next murdered ghost!”
A
note from the author
I
love watching storage auction programmes. I’ve never been to one but I’d love
to visit one of the big ones in America, I’m sure I’d be useless at bidding
though – I’d be too excited.
When
I watch the shows I always wonder where the items have come from, and who they
belonged to. I wondered what would happen if some of the items had ghosts
attached. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it anymore and I knew I had
to write some stories down, I was inspired by the variety of items that have been
discovered in storage lockers. Also, I am a big fan of ‘cozy’ murder mysteries
and I wanted to combine items found in a locker with a murder!
I
hope you enjoyed this story. If you did could you post a quick review? Thank
you, I read all my reviews and I really do appreciate them.
Grace’s
first murder mystery is ‘The Last Reading’. It’s free on Amazon :
Grace’s
adventures with ghosts that weren’t murdered are available as a box set, there
are 5 short stories in the set:
You
can see all my books at:
You
can email me at:
Best
wishes
Gillian