Read The Last Laugh: A Ghost Mystery Story (Second Hand Ghosts Book 3) Online
Authors: Gillian Larkin
The Last Laugh: A Ghost Mystery Story (Second Hand Ghosts Book 3) (4 page)
Chapter 13
“No,
Rose, I can fight him!” I pleaded with her. I shook my head to get rid of the
drowsiness. “Me and Tommy together can stop him.”
Tommy
stood up and came to my side, “Yeah, we’ll keep knocking him down till he gets
fed up and clears off.”
Rose
shook her head, “You don’t understand. He won’t go back to where he belongs
until he’s collected a soul. And if he’s resorting to murder then he’s getting
desperate. Desperate enough to kill you, Kate, and I’ll never let that happen.”
Devlin
looked at Rose with a satisfied smirk on his face, “You’re not my first choice
but you’ll do.”
Rose
gave him a scathing look, “You’re lucky to have a soul like mine.”
“Rose,
aren’t you scared? You don’t know where you’re going?” I asked.
She
chuckled, “It’ll be an adventure, going somewhere new.”
Devlin
sneered, “We’re not going to a holiday park. You won’t like it”
Rose
glared at Devlin and said, “I’ll decide if I like it or not. You don’t know
anything about me. You’ve no idea what sort of person I am.”
A
flicker of what looked like fear crossed Devlin’s face.
Rose
looked kindly at me and said, “Kate, I can tell from your face that you have
questions. Spit them out now.”
“Will
I ever see you again? Are there more creatures like him,” I nodded towards
Devlin. “Are you sure Emily will be safe?”
Rose
grinned, “I’m not sure if you’ll see me again but I’ll try.”
Devlin
snorted, “No, you won’t.”
Rose
ignored him and carried on, “Emily is safe, and so are you. You’re doing a
great job helping ghosts, don’t you stop now. Have fun with the shop and give
my love to Carol.”
“That’s
enough! We’re not at a party!” Devlin said. He held up his palm to Rose and a
black mist came out. It swirled around Rose until she was almost covered.
Her
lovely old face looked out at me through the mist. She winked at me just before
the mist completely covered her.
Devlin
clapped his hands and the mist evaporated. Rose had gone.
“Time
for me to go home,” Devlin gave us a satisfied smug smile. He moved closer to
me. I could feel a chill coming from him. “Rose didn’t answer one of your
questions. Yes, there are many more like me, looking for lost souls. We love
feeding off their misery. And there’s nothing as miserable as a soul that
doesn’t know where it’s supposed to be. Look out for us, Kate. We’ll be looking
out for you.”
Devlin
laid a cold hand on my shoulder and then he was gone.
Chapter 14
Mrs
Abbott was stirring on the settee. I walked over to her and sat down on the
floor. I gently called her name.
She
opened her eyes and looked at me, “You again. What happened to me? Did I fall
asleep? What’s Tommy doing here?”
I
helped her to sit up. She looked groggy. I ordered Tommy to make us all a cup
of tea. He grumbled as he headed to the kitchen.
I
helped Mrs Abbott into a sitting position and I sat next to her. She still
seemed very weak so I put my arm around her to support her.
All
the time, Jake hovered nearby, a concerned look on his face.
“What
happened to me?” she asked again.
“How
much do you remember? Do you remember that I was here earlier, talking about
Jake,” I asked her.
She
nodded, “Yes, I do. And that priest was here. I can’t think of his name now.”
“Father
Devlin,” I told her.
Mrs
Abbott sat up straighter. Her hands flew to her face. “That man! He’s evil! I
don’t think he’s a priest at all!”
“What
did he do?” I asked.
“When
you’d gone he started talking about Jake. He said a son would never take his
own life if he had a loving mother. Then he said it was my fault! And the way
he talked to me made me believe it too. He went on and on about it. He made me
cry. I felt so guilty about letting Jake down. I felt like I wanted to die.
That’s when he told me to lay down on here. I don’t remember anything else.”
Mrs
Abbott began to cry.
I
handed her a tissue, “None of what he said is true. That man was evil but he’s
gone now.”
Mrs
Abbott blew her nose, “But it’s true about Jake killing himself, isn’t it?”
“No,
it isn’t,” Tommy came into the room carrying a tray of tea things. He set the
tray down and continued. “Jake slipped. It was an accident. He was trying to
make me laugh. You know what he’s like, or was like. Always acting the clown.”
Mrs
Abbott smiled through her tears, “He made me laugh so much, my little Jake.”
I
listened as Tommy told Mrs Abbott exactly what happened that night. Then he
told her about other things Jake had done to make Tommy laugh. Mrs Abbott was
soon crying tears of laughter.
I
looked at Jake. He was laughing too. He seemed to be glowing brighter as if he
was getting ready to leave soon, to go to that other, better place.
Mrs
Abbott asked, “Is Jake still here? Can you see him? Can you talk to him for
me?”
I
said yes and then spent the next half an hour passing messages between Jake and
his mum, and then Jake and Tommy.
It
felt good to be helping people.
When
everything had been said I looked at Jake and noticed that he was glowing much
brighter.
“I
think it’s time for you to go,” I said gently to Jake.
“I
know,” he smiled. “Thanks for all your help. Will you sell my joke things at
your shop? If mum keeps them she’ll just put them away in a cupboard. I want
them to get used, for people to laugh.”
I
made sure that that was alright with Jake’s mum. She nodded.
I
heard some laughter behind me. Jake looked my way. His face lit up.
“Clowns!
There are lots of clowns just behind you. They want me to go with them,” Jake grinned.
I
told Mrs Abbott and Tommy what Jake had said.
“You
go with them!” Mrs Abbott cheered, “It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
After
calling out his love to his mum Jake lit up brightly and floated over my head.
Then he disappeared.
I
could faintly hear something - Jake’s last laugh.
Chapter 15
I
said goodbye to Mrs Abbott and Tommy and then drove back to the shop.
I
felt like I’d been gone all day but I’d only been gone for two hours.
As
I walked towards the shop I saw a big crowd outside. They were an angry crowd.
“What’s
the point of having a sale and then not opening the shop!” an old man grumbled.
“It’s
just ridiculous. I bet it’s some sort of publicity stunt,” a grey haired woman
added.
I
pushed my way through and tried the door of the shop. It was locked.
“Oi!
There’s a queue!” the grumbling man shouted at me.
“I
work here,” I told him. I opened the door and quickly slipped outside. Carol
never locked the door during business hours so I knew something was wrong.
People behind me tried to come in the shop so I asked them as politely as I
could to keep outside for a while. Some of them swore at me.
I
called out, “Carol? Are you here?”
I
didn’t receive an answer so I walked further into the shop.
Then
I saw Carol. She was hunched down behind the counter. She was as white as a
sheet and she was trembling.
I
knelt down next to her, “I don’t want to say this but you look as if you’ve
seen a ghost.”
Carol
looked at me with frightened eyes, “I have! I saw two of them. Right here in
the shop.”
“Can
you tell me about it?” I asked.
“It
was Rose, and a funny looking man with sunglasses. He was arguing with Rose and
saying they didn’t have time for social visits. Then Rose said it was important
and that she had something she needed to tell me, a message to pass to you.”
“Go
on,” I said. I moved closer to Carol.
“Rose
said she forgot to warn you about the shop cellar. She said there were some bad
ghosts in there and you had to be careful if you went down there. She doesn’t
want you to get hurt. I was too scared to speak! I just nodded and then they just
disappeared.”
“Was
that all?” I asked.
“Isn’t
that enough? I nearly wet myself when those ghosts appeared!” Carol blustered.
I
tried not to smile, “They’ve gone now and I don’t think they’ll be coming back.
I’ll put the kettle on and make your tea extra strong.”
Carol
said, “I don’t like this, Kate. It’s bad enough that you mess around with
ghosts but I don’t want to see them. And to know there’s a cellar full right
under me! Well, I’m not sure I want to stay in this shop.”
“They’ve
gone now, Carol, and they can’t hurt you. You’re not going to let a silly thing
like ghosts stop you, are you? I thought you were stronger than that. You’re
one of the strongest people I know,” I said.
Carol
gave a little nod, “That’s true.”
“Don’t
worry about the ghosts in the cellar, if any pop up I’ll deal with them,” I
assured her.
Carol
stopped shaking, “We could board the cellar door up. That would stop them
coming through.”
I
didn’t tell her that doors don’t stop ghosts.
“There
are some customers waiting outside the shop. They’re not happy that they’re
having to wait,” I told Carol.
Carol’s
lips set in a firm line. She stood up, brushed some dust off her skirt and
looked towards the window. “They’ll have to wait a little while longer while
you make me a tea. Did I hear some of them swearing at you?”
I
straightened up and stood next to her. “That man in the flat cap even pushed
me.”
Carol
pushed up her sleeves and narrowed her eyes, “Did he now? I’ll be having a word
with him. What are you standing there for, Kate? The kettle won’t switch itself
on.”
“Carol,
are you alright? Will you stay with me at the shop?” I asked.
Carol
looked at me and gave a determined smile, “Let’s make a deal, if any more
ghosts come near me I’ll send them straight over to you.”
“That’s
a deal,” I agreed. “Shall I open the door?”
Carol
nodded, “I’m ready for them. And, Kate?”
“Yes?”
I said.
Carol
pointed towards the kitchen, “Tea.”
I
walked into the kitchen, happy that Carol was her bossy self again. I glanced
at the cellar door on the other side of the kitchen.
I
just knew that I would be opening that door soon.
About
the author
I
live in a town in the north of England. On the high street there are about 7
charity shops. They always have lovely window displays enticing you to enter.
Quite often I have looked at the things in the windows and wondered who they
belonged to, and why they have given them away. I also wondered what would
happen if there were ghosts attached to some items. For a while I thought about
the possible stories – and then I eventually wrote them down!
I
set the stories in a second hand shop, rather than a charity shop, as it would
give characters the opportunity to sell items they don’t want, or need,
anymore.
I
still look in the charity shop windows, it’s amazing the things that people
donate.
If
you liked this story would you be able to put a short review on Amazon, or to
click the ‘like’ button?
Thank
you, I appreciate it.
The
first book in this series is, ‘The Final Bet’ :
The
second book is, ‘The Lost Baby’ :
You
can visit my website at :
Read
on for the first chapter of the fourth book in this series, ‘The Hidden Picture’.
Kind
regards
Gillian
The Hidden
Picture - Chapter 1
“We
need something eye catching, something to draw the crowds in,” Carol said.
I
looked around the shop, “We need better things to sell.”
“One
thing at a time, Kate. If we get people into the shop then we can flog them
other things,” Carol said.
It
had been one month since Rose, the owner of Second Hand Rose, had died and left
her shop jointly to me and Carol. We were struggling to make a profit, mainly
because we had a lot of old and bulky furniture to get rid of.
“We
could try a sale again,” I suggested.
Carol
shook her head, “We’ve had two already, people will think we’re one of those
companies that are always having ‘closing down sales’. We’ve got a reputation
to think of. Come on, Kate, think of something.”
“I’m
trying,” I told her.
Carol
fixed her gaze on me.
“Well
I can’t think if you’re staring at me!” I retorted.
The
shop door opened. Carol’s eyes lit up as she spotted a potential sale.
A
woman who looked to be in her mid thirties staggered in with a large cardboard
box. I ran over to help her. Together, we put it on the counter.
Carol
frowned as she realised the woman was here to sell something, and not to buy
anything.
“Yes?”
Carol asked rather rudely.
The
woman huffed for a bit as she caught her breath.
Then
she spoke, “I need to speak to Rose, please.”
“You
can’t,” Carol replied.
“But
it’s important. I have to speak to her,” the woman went on.
“I’ve
just told you that you can’t. You’ll have to speak to me instead.”
Carol
is so embarrassingly rude sometimes.
I
smiled at the woman and said, “I’m sorry to tell you that Rose passed away
recently. She left her shop to us. If you have business with Rose I’m sure we
could help.”
The
woman’s shoulders dropped and she looked down at the box. “That’s such a shame,
I really needed to speak to her.”
“I’m sure she didn’t die on purpose,” Carol sniffed.
I
shot Carol a glance. It was obvious that the woman was upset.
“We
might be able to help you, if you tell us what your visit is about. I’m
assuming it’s something to do with that box,” I said.
The
woman looked at me and gave a little smile. “Okay, I’ll tell you why I’m here.
This box belonged to my granddad. He died about three months ago. We’ve only
just got round to clearing out the attic of his house. We found this box up
there. And inside we found a letter addressed to ‘Rose at The Second Hand Rose
shop’.
The
woman took a letter out of her handbag. It was unopened.
I
looked at Carol and said, “What should we do? Should we open it?”
Carol
hesitated, “We should really pass it onto her family.”
“But
it might be something to do with the shop, something we need to know about,” I
ventured.
Carol
didn’t look sure.
“We
could open it, read it and if it’s nothing to do with the shop, then we can
pass it on to her family.”
Carol
looked satisfied with my reasoning. Secretly, I think she was just as curious
as me to open the letter.
The
woman passed me the letter and said, “Do you mind if I look at the contents
too?”
She
gave an embarrassed smile. She was just as nosey as us.
“I’ll
read it out,” I said and I carefully opened the envelope and took out a piece
of paper.
The
Hidden Picture is available here:
